ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Bearwood Corporate Services

Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission 
	(1)  if the Electoral Commission will place in the Library a copy of the report of its investigation into Bearwood Corporate Services;
	(2)  if the Electoral Commission will place in the Library a list of the officials and staff of the Conservative party who did not accept the invitation for interview with representatives of the Electoral Commission as part of its investigations into Bearwood Corporate Services;
	(3)  if the Electoral Commission will place in the Library a copy of the report by forensic accountants commissioned as part of the Electoral Commission's investigations into Bearwood Corporate Services.

Gary Streeter: I will give the hon. Member a substantive reply as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Gary Streeter to Gordon Prentice:
	The Electoral Commission informs me that, consistent with its disclosure policy, it has published on its website a case summary setting out the issues considered by the Commission during the course of the investigation, the information obtained in relation to those issues, and the legal basis for the conclusions the Commission reached.
	The Commission further informs me that, in the interests of effective regulation and having regard to the confidentiality and sensitivity of information provided, and the privacy and confidentiality of those involved, it is not the Commission's practice to release further information obtained during an investigation.

Trade Unions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission which trade unions have registered with the Electoral Commission as a registered third party in respect of the forthcoming general election to date; and how much Unite has spent as a registered third party to date.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that as of 19 March 2010 seven trade unions have registered with the Commission as recognised third parties. These are Community, the National Union of Teachers, the Public and Commercial Services Union, the Educational Institute of Scotland, Unison, Unite and USDAW. The Commission further informs me that recognised third parties must report their regulated spending to the Commission after the general election.

WALES

Departmental Food

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by his Department are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme.

Peter Hain: My Department does not procure any meat or dairy products.

Departmental Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the dates of publication of any regular statistics or reports by his Department have been affected by planning for the forthcoming general election.

Peter Hain: No.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Food

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by his Department are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not procure any meat or dairy products, with the exception of small quantities of milk on which we have not logged any particular certification.

PRIME MINISTER

Community Relations

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1304W, on building resilience, whether the paper from the Civil Contingencies Secretariat entitled "Building Resilience: a new approach to crisis" by M. S. D. Granatt, Head of GICS, Cabinet Office and J. P. Macintosh DSTL, Ministry of Defence, published in July 2001 and revised in February 2002 is classified.

Gordon Brown: Yes. The paper "Building Resilience: a new approach to crisis" is classified.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Office has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Tessa Jowell) on 17 March 2010,  Official Report, column 866W.

Intelligence and Security Committee

David Davis: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 861W, when he expects the views of the Intelligence and Security Committee to be published.

Gordon Brown: The Government remain committed to publishing both the guidance and the views of the Intelligence and Security Committee as soon as possible.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Surveys

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department and its agencies.

Shaun Woodward: The Civil Service People Survey was not carried out within the Northern Ireland Office (NIO). However, a separate NIO staff attitude survey was carried out within the Department in May and June 2009. A copy of the overall results of this survey has been placed in the Library.

Fines: Non-payment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are in prison in Northern Ireland as a result of non-payment of fines.

Paul Goggins: On 18 March 2010 there were 28 persons in prison in Northern Ireland as a result of non-payment of fines.

Magilligan Prison

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are expected to be employed in the  (a) construction and  (b) running of the new prison at HM Prison Magilligan.

Paul Goggins: It is too early to provide specific answers, but it is estimated that between 150 and 300 people could be working on site, depending on procurement method and stage of construction.
	The new design would entail more cost effective staffing when the prison is operational.

Youth Custody

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) young adults and  (b) women were serving a custodial sentence in prison in Northern Ireland in (i) January 2010, (ii) January 2009 and (iii) January 2008.

Paul Goggins: The information for the last Monday in each month is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Young  o ffenders serving a sentence  Women serving a sentence 
			 25 January 2008 77 21 
			 26 January 2009 85 18 
			 28 January 2010 83 16 
		
	
	Young offenders are defined as being aged 18 to 21 years. Upon attaining 21 years they are deemed to be adults and can be sent to an adult prison.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) maximum and  (b) minimum number of years of over-paid council tax is that should be refunded to local taxpayers when a council tax banding error has been identified by the Valuation Office Agency; and what guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 1 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 952-53W. No guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

Council Tax: Empty Property

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 896W, on council tax: empty property, whether the additional revenue raised under the recalculation of the council tax base for the 2011-12 settlement will be retained by local authorities.

Barbara Follett: All council tax revenue is retained by local authorities. Each local authority's council tax base is calculated for the purposes of formula grant distribution, and is the number of Band D equivalent properties in their authority.

Departmental Records

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when his Department's headquarters were last reviewed for compliance with the Public Records Acts; and what the results were of that review.

Barbara Follett: The Department's headquarters were reviewed by the National Archives for compliance with both the Public Records Acts and Lord Chancellor's Section 46 Code of Practice for Records Management under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in 2007. The outcome of the review was published on the National Archives website. This can be found at:
	http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/dclg-summary -report.doc
	The outcome includes evidence of good practice, the challenges faced and recommendations. The Department also has put in place arrangements to ensure that records are managed on a day-to-day basis to comply with the requirements of the Public Records Acts and officials meet regularly with the National Archives to review record-keeping arrangements.

Departmental Temporary Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department undertakes equality and diversity monitoring of agency staff recruited to work at its headquarters.

Barbara Follett: Our contracted supplier for temporary staff is Reed and, as part of their contract, they are required to monitor the diversity of the staff they provide to the Department. The data include staff provided to the Government Offices and the Government Equalities Office (GEO). They report to us on a monthly basis, with the report covering nationality, ethnicity, gender, age and disability.

Fire Services

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has provided guidance to fire and rescue authorities on the use of socio-demographic profiling to inform decisions on the provision of fire and rescue services.

Shahid Malik: A range of IRMP-related guidance has been issued to FRAs and is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/developingfuture/integratedriskmanagement/
	The guidance, which is non-prescriptive, is designed to provide advice and assistance on IRMP and its associated processes, allowing local authorities and local communities to make appropriate decisions at the local level.
	The Department has also provided each fire and rescue service with a suite of software called the fire service emergency cover (FSEC) toolkit. This toolkit allows each fire and rescue service to undertake a risk-based assessment of their area. FSEC is based upon a geographical information system, which takes account of a range of factors including socio-economic and geo-demographic data, and uses bespoke software to calculate the probable losses based on a particular set of response strategies in terms of lives lost and property costs. That then enables the FRA to determine its optimum prevention, protection and response strategies appropriate to its own area.
	The Department has also recently published research on socio-demographics and fire risk, which can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/frsperforman ceanalysis

Fire Services: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average response time was for a fire appliance to attend  (a) a dwelling fire with persons involved,  (b) a dwelling fire with no persons involved,  (c) a fire in a non-dwelling building,  (d) a road vehicle fire and  (e) an outdoor fire broken down by (i) region, (ii) fire service family group and (iii) local authority in each of the last three years.

Shahid Malik: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department attended the MIPIM international property conference in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009;
	(2)  how much his Department expects to spend on  (a) travel and  (b) accommodation for (i) Ministers and (ii) officials attending the MIPIM international property conference in March 2010;
	(3)  how much he expects to be spent by the Homes and Communities Agency on  (a) travel and  (b) accommodation for officials attending the MIPIM international property conference in March 2010.

Barbara Follett: In 2007, 2008 and 2009, the MIPIM conference was attended by the following officials from Communities and Local Government:
	 2007
	Director General, Policy Programmes and Innovation
	 2008
	Director General, Housing and Planning
	Director General, Tackling Disadvantage
	Director General, Finance and Corporate Services
	 2009
	Director General, Housing and Planning
	Director General, Regions and Communities
	No departmental Ministers or officials have attended the MIPIM conference in 2010, either at the expense of the Department or at the invitation of the Homes and Communities Agency. Therefore, no costs were incurred by HCA for this purpose.

Local Government Act 1976

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will amend section 11 of the Local Government Act 1976 to permit local authorities to sell electricity other than that produced in association with heat.

David Kidney: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government published a consultation document on proposals to allow local authorities to sell electricity they generate themselves from renewable sources on 2 March.
	We believe that local authorities should play a full part in the development of renewable heat and electricity. Allowing local authorities to sell electricity generated by them from renewable sources is expected to encourage the development of local renewable electricity projects by those local authorities that are well-placed to undertake such projects either on their own or in partnerships.
	The consultation document can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/loc_auth_elec/loc_auth_elec.aspx
	and has a closing date for responses of 2 June 2010.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his latest estimate is of the take-up rate of small business rate relief in each local authority area.

Barbara Follett: The report "Small business rate relief-improving evidence on eligibility and take-up: Methodology", published on 9 December 2009, provides details of the methodology to estimate take-up of small business rate relief. This methodology can only be applied nationally for England as a whole. Therefore it is not possible to calculate an estimate of take-up for each local authority. This report is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/local government/smallbusinessmethod
	However, new experimental statistics on the number of hereditaments claiming small business rate relief (SBRR), published on the Communities and Local Government website on 25 February 2010, show that 462,000 hereditaments in England were benefiting from SBRR on 31 December 2008.
	By applying that figure to the eligibility estimates made for the 2005 rating list it is estimated that around 80 per cent. of eligible hereditaments in England were claiming SBRR in 2008-09-see table 1.
	Relief granted to small businesses has been increasing since SBRR was introduced-from £202 million in 2005-06 to £298 million in 2008-09. This represents a real terms increase of 34 per cent. This suggests that 92 per cent. of the maximum amount of relief that could be claimed is being taken up, up from 69 per cent. in the first year of the scheme-see table 2.
	This statistical release is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/sbrrfeb2010
	The report "Small business rate relief-improving evidence on eligibility and take-up: Methodology" will be updated to take account of these new numbers.
	
		
			  Table 1: Take-up of SBRR-numbers claiming 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Number of hereditaments actually claiming SBRR (thousand) 396 433 462 
			 Number of hereditaments eligible (thousand) 575 575 575 
			 Percentage of estimated eligible actually claiming 69 75% 80 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Take-up of SBRR 2005-06 to 2008-09-relief 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Relief available (£ million) 295 300 315 325 
			 Relief claimed (£ million) 202 237 259 298 
			 Take-up (percentage) 69 78 83 92

Schools: Carbon Emissions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local education authorities will be liable for the carbon dioxide emissions of maintained schools under the Carbon Reduction Commitment process.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Maintained schools will be grouped with their relevant maintaining local authority (LEA) for the purposes of CRC qualification and participation. The exception is PFI schools deemed to be responsible for the energy supply under the CRC, which will participate individually or as part of their PFI corporate structure.
	This grouping approach brings schools that would not have otherwise qualified into the scheme, thereby enabling the public sector to demonstrate leadership in carbon reduction and realise the cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities across the schools' estate.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which staff from his Department have visited Afghanistan in each month since 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: Military and civilian staff from the Ministry of Defence are required to visit Afghanistan on a regular basis in support of current operations. The number and posts of those visiting in each month since 2007 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has paid to relatives of servicemen killed in action in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: It is not possible to provide a definitive figure for all aspects of the payments made to bereaved families as benefits are payable under a range of different provisions and, as the information is not held centrally, it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Armed Forces Pension Scheme provides a death- in-service lump sum and the appropriate family forces pensions, including enhanced payments where death is related to service. It is estimated that at least £14 million has been paid in death-in-service lump sums over the last five years to the families of those killed in action.
	The War Pension Scheme provides for ongoing payments to families of personnel killed, as a result of service, before 6 April 2005, with the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) making that provision for those who have died since that date. In addition to a Guaranteed Income Payment, a Bereavement Grant of up to £20,000 is payable under AFCS. Payments amounting to some £8.8 million have been made to bereaved families under AFCS since 2005 including those killed in a non-operational environment where death was attributable to service.
	Funeral grants are also payable where a service funeral is held or the cost of a private funeral (up to a current maximum of £2,786) will be met. In the region of £112,000 has been paid in funeral costs. In addition costs associated with family attendance at repatriation ceremonies and any pre-inquest and inquest hearings are met by the MOD.

Armed Forces: Drugs

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 7-8W, on armed forces: discharges, how many compulsory drug tests the Army has carried out in each quarter since January 2008; and how many positive tests for  (a) cocaine,  (b) ecstasy and  (c) cannabis there were in each such quarter.

Bill Rammell: The number of compulsory drug tests undertaken by the Army in each quarter since January 2008 and the positive results for cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Period  Number of tests  Cocaine  Ecstasy  Cannabis 
			  2008 
			 1 January-31 March 19,885 92 10 47 
			 1 April-30 June 24,787 152 10 49 
			 1 July-30 September 19,978 95 10 31 
			 1 October-31 December 25,189 88 2 44 
			  
			  2009 
			 1 January-31 March 25,045 65 3 43 
			 1 April-30 June 26,932 70 3 65 
			 1 July-30 September 26,210 55 0 58 
			 1 October-31 December 24,762 47 0 37

Armed Forces: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding has been allocated to  (a) cadet forces and  (b) the Territorial Army on Merseyside in 2009-10.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held centrally.
	Funding for the cadet forces in any particular area comes from a wide variety of sources including the single services, the use of subsidised accommodation, and local donations and fundraising efforts. To determine how much funding has been allocated to a specific unit would require a manual search of records and incur disproportionate cost.
	Territorial Army (TA) funding is provided not only through the Army but also from different sources dependent on how the infrastructure is shared. For example, funding may be generated by allowing another organisation, such as the Air Training Corps or Sea Cadets, to use the facility when not required for TA activity. This allows for the most efficient use of resources. To determine how much funding has been provided to Merseyside would require the manual search of records ranging from local agreements through to more formal arrangements with the single services, thus incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Government remain committed to the TA and the cadet forces. The TA continues to play a vital role in support of the Regular Army, not least on operations in Afghanistan. The Cadet Organisation dates back 150 years. It is one of the oldest and most successful voluntary youth organisations in the world. Today it numbers 131,000 young people, led by 25,000 adult volunteers, in well over 3,000 sites across the country.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many abnormal safety events were recorded at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009; and how many of those events were classified as having the potential to challenge a nuclear safety system.

Quentin Davies: The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) defines an abnormal event (AE) as any action or series of actions that causes a deviation from the planned course of events. An AE need not cause physical harm to persons, property or the environment, and AEs may cover quality and security issues as well as safety.
	AEs are classified into seven different categories; five of these are considered to be related to safety. The total number of AEs in these five categories was 4,020 in 2008 and 3,911 in 2009. Of these, three in each year were assessed as having the potential, in the absence of remedial action, to challenge a nuclear safety system. None of these six actually did, and none resulted in any harm.
	All reported AEs are investigated as appropriate; in particular, the six events referred to above were subject to detailed investigations, and all necessary remedial action has been completed to the satisfaction of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.
	The aim of the AWE reporting system is to identify all AEs, however minor, and the number of AEs is considered to be a reflection of the robustness of the system and the vigilance of the AWE work force.

Departmental Food

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by his Department and its non-departmental bodies are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme.

Quentin Davies: For UK armed forces personnel "in barracks", when personnel are not being fed under the catering retail and leisure contracts, and those serving on operations and overseas exercises, there is a single food supply contractor, Purple Foodservice Solutions (PFS).
	PFS increasingly takes into account ethical and sustainable criteria in their procurement, and is required to seek best value for money in the open market consistent with meeting Ministry of Defence food quality standards which are linked to the Office of Government Commerce food quality standards.
	PFS procures meat and dairy proteins in the UK that meet the Red Tractor Scheme (a UK farm assured scheme which is the equivalent to the RSPCA Freedom Foods scheme) and UK animal welfare standards. Any which are purchased outside the UK comply with the EU animal welfare standards.
	Dairy products meet the Red Tractor requirements, and eggs meet the Lion Standard, an internationally recognised quality code of practice.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 849W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign.

Kevan Jones: The costs of the redesigns were as follows:
	
		
			   Website and URL  Cost (£) 
			 2005-06 MOD corporate website http://www.mod.uk 400,000 
			 2007-08  150,000 
			 2005-06 Royal Navy http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk 270,000 
			 2007  110,000 
			 2008(1) British Army http://www.army.mod.uk 266,500 
			 2006-07 Royal Air Force http://www.raf.mod.uk 119,579 
			 (1) The British Army website redesign launched on 30 May 2008; the redesign project launched in 2006 and preparatory design work was carried out between 2006 and 2008.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Kevan Jones: The following designs have been commissioned since 2005.
	
		
			  Date  Work commissioned  Cost (£) 
			 March 2006 Enhancements to publishing templates and introduction of a new "Business Processes" area. (1)396,590 
			 December 2007 Re-branding of the intranet to encompass military content. 29,238 
			 July 2009 Complete site re-design as part of upgrade from Microsoft Content Management System (CMS) 2002 to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. (2)200,000 
			 (1) Includes design and code development.  (2) Includes requirements capture and design. 
		
	
	A number of other internal websites are run by different parts of the Ministry of Defence, but these are not managed centrally. Information on these sites could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Defence is progressively reducing the number of internal websites and migrating their content across to the Defence intranet.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on maintaining its Flickr channel in 2009-10;
	(2)  how many people his Department employs to maintain its social media and social networking sites; and at what cost in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on maintaining its Twitter feeds in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  how much his Department spent on maintaining its YouTube channel in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: There is no one MOD employee whose main role is to maintain social media and social networking sites, Twitter, YouTube or Flickr, although there are some for whom it is a small part of their role alongside their other duties.
	My Department has spent $30 on a single Flickr 'Pro' licence, for the Royal Military College Sandhurst.
	The official, sponsored and affiliated social media presences of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces are listed at
	http://www.blogs.mod.uk/homepage.html

Departmental Manpower

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian staff are employed principally to operate his Department's White Fleet of vehicles.

Kevan Jones: A Contract Management Team comprising 15 civilian posts manages the UK White Fleet contract on behalf of the MOD. Other civilian staff are involved in managing White Fleet activity at a local level across MOD; this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Surveys

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department and its agencies.

Kevan Jones: Yes. The document-October 2009 MOD Your Say Survey results (part of the Civil Service People Survey)-will be placed in the Library of the House.
	These results are also available on the MOD website:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/PublicationScheme/SearchPublicationScheme/HrStrategy CivilianContinuousAttitudeSurveys.htm
	The document for UK Hydrographic Office results will also be placed in the Library of the House shortly. No other trading funds participated in the 2009 survey.

Departmental Travel

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on travel for its civilian staff between  (a) London and Edinburgh,  (b) London and Glasgow and  (c) London and the rest of Scotland in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Travel between London and Scotland may be undertaken by a number of methods of travel (e.g. road, rail, air, coach). This information is not recorded by location and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Devonport Dockyard

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department will make a decision on the future base-porting of frigates currently base-ported in Devonport Naval Base.

Quentin Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 January 2010,  Official Report, column 890W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

Future Rapid Effect System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects to announce his decision on the preferred bidder for the Future Rapid Effect System armoured reconnaissance vehicle contract;
	(2)  what advice his Department received from the Treasury in connection with the choice of design for the Future Rapid Effect System armoured reconnaissance vehicle.

Quentin Davies: The Future Rapid Effect System programme has been recast from a single programme into a set of constituent projects, namely: the Specialist Vehicles; the Utility Vehicles; and the Manoeuvre Support Vehicles. An announcement on the competition for the Specialist Vehicle project has been made today in a written ministerial statement by the Secretary of State for Defence.
	HM Treasury has provided no advice to the Department regarding the choice of design for the Specialist Vehicle capability. The MOD reached its own decision on the choice of design based on the advice of expert assessment panels.

Group 4 Securicor

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with Group 4 Securicor on its proposals to have outsourced to the private security industry those services which are detailed in the unprinted paper reported to the House by the Defence Committee on 10 February 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 17 March 2010
	The Ministry of Defence has a number of existing agreements with Group 4 Securicor for the provision of Defence services. We are aware of the range of services that the company offers and it is, of course, free to compete for additional Ministry of Defence business through established procedures. My officials engage with Group 4 Securicor on both current business and potential future opportunities as required.

HMS Gannet

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many search and rescue call-outs there were from HMS Gannet between 1 March 2009 and 28 February 2010.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 18 March 2010
	The numbers of search and rescue call-outs from HMS Gannet between 1 March 2009 and 31 January 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			  Month  Callouts 
			  2009  
			 March 33 
			 April 35 
			 May 46 
			 June 35 
			 July 41 
			 August 44 
			 September 36 
			 October 32 
			 November 39 
			 December 42 
			   
			  2010  
			 January 37 
			 Total 445 
		
	
	Official Statistics guidelines do not allow the release of data prior to their official publication. The Official Statistics for February 2010 are due to be released by Defence Analytical Services and Advice on Monday 29 March. Search and rescue statistics can be found at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk

Hotels

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on  (a) renting accommodation and  (b) hotel costs for its civilian staff attending meetings in Scotland in the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: Civilian employees are unlikely to use or stay in rented accommodation for a business meeting. Employees may rent accommodation temporarily as a result of a transfer but information on this or hotel costs for meetings in Scotland is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 4 November 2009,  Official Report, column 704W, on helicopters, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Woodspring.

Bill Rammell: I wrote to the hon. Member on 5 March.

Middle East: Military Attachés

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to which countries in the Middle East a UK defence attaché is posted.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister for Veterans (Mr. Jones) on 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1366W.

Navy: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval vessels are permanently based in Scotland; and how many have been permanently based in Scotland in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The Royal Navy currently has five submarines and eight surface vessels based in Scotland. The details for each year since 1997 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of RN vessels base port in Scotland 
			   Surface  Submarine 
			 1997 11 8 
			 1998 11 9 
			 1999 11 9 
			 2000 13 9 
			 2001 14 9 
			 2002 15 9 
			 2003 13 8 
			 2004 13 8 
			 2005 12 8 
			 2006 9 6 
			 2007 8 6 
			 2008 8 5 
			 2009 8 5 
			 2010 8 5 
		
	
	The fluctuations in submarine numbers reflect the gradual drawdown of the Swiftsure class vessels, as they reach the end of their in-service life. Over the next few years, as HM Naval Base Clyde becomes the main operating base for all classes of submarines, there will be a gradual transfer of three Trafalgar class submarines from Devonport to Faslane. In the future, the Astute class and the replacement for the Vanguard class will also be based in Scotland.
	The number of surface ships initially increased over this period, reflecting the move of the Sandown class mine counter-measure vessels to Scotland, then decreased reflecting the subsequent disbandment of the Northern Ireland Squadron following the NI Accord. The numbers are commensurate with the reduction in the surface fleet numbers as a whole throughout this period.
	Additionally some 23 small boats allocated to the Royal Marines are currently maintained in Scotland. These are not allocated to a base port in the same way as larger vessels; details of the numbers maintained in Scotland since 1997 are not available.
	I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 16WS, which provided clarity to future base-porting regarding the three naval bases under the Maritime Change Programme.

Nimrod Aircraft

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of the Nimrod MR2 modification programme announced in March 2009.

Quentin Davies: The cost of replacing a number of fuel seals and the engine hot air ducts on the Nimrod aircraft, as announced on 9 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, together with associated maintenance work, was in the order of £16 million.

RAF Coningsby

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the fast jet test and evaluation advice available at RAF Coningsby is provided in-house.

Bill Rammell: On 1 April 2010, the Fast Jet Test Squadron, currently based at MOD Boscombe Down, will complete its merger with 17 (Reserve) and 41 (Reserve) Squadrons. Under this new arrangement, most fast jet test flying will be conducted by the two RAF squadrons at RAF Coningsby. Evaluation advice will be provided jointly by QinetiQ and MOD personnel at RAF Coningsby and MOD Boscombe Down. A fast jet experimental flight, and the fast jets owned by QinetiQ, will remain at MOD Boscombe Down.

Rescue Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to respond to the petition on SAR Chivenor presented to the Prime Minister on 25 February 2010.

Quentin Davies: The Ministry of Defence is in receipt of the petition and I will write to the hon. Member, as the petition organiser, shortly.

Rescue Services: Helicopters

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what timetable has been set for signing the search and rescue helicopter contract with Soteria Consortium.

Quentin Davies: Subject to finalisation, it is expected that the contract will be signed later in 2010. This is anticipated to be in good time to allow the service to commence in 2012.

Royal Hospital Haslar

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether contractual provisions were included in the documentation for the sale by Defence Estates of the Royal Hospital Haslar to ensure that the vision for the future of the site referred to in the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence to the hon. Member for Gosport of 16 July 2009 would be fulfilled.

Kevan Jones: The future of the site is now a matter for Gosport borough council as the local planning authority.
	As I set out in my written ministerial statement on 20 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 94-95WS, Our Enterprise has a vision of promoting the quality of life for both individuals residing on the site and for Gosport as a whole and will continue social and health care on the site by providing a "Veterans Village", student accommodation, community healthcare and a commercial centre as well as residential uses.
	Contractual provisions between the Ministry of Defence and the purchaser affecting the development of the site were not included in the sale documentation for the sale of the Haslar site.

University Officer Training Corps

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had on  (a) the funding and  (b) the participation of students in officer training corps units at universities; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Government fully recognise the value of the University Royal Naval Units, the Officer Training Corps, the University Air Squadrons and the Defence Training Undergraduate Scheme. They allow individuals to develop skills that are extremely valuable in a future career either within the armed forces or without.
	Each of the services is looking at how best to support the University Training Units; until those decisions are finalised I cannot speculate about future funding levels.
	No University Training Units have closed as a result of changes to funding during this financial year. Despite some reduction in attendance by Officer Cadets at University Officer Training Corps they remain oversubscribed against their establishment. The average actual strength in 2009 was around 3,500. This is against an establishment figure of 2,946.

JUSTICE

Arrest Warrants

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what account was taken of each of the criteria in the Government's code of practice on consultation in preparing his Department's consultation on arrest warrants and universal jurisdiction.

Claire Ward: The question of arrest warrants for universal jurisdiction offences is not the subject of a consultation exercise. Given the importance of the issue, however, the Government thought it right to seek views from a small number of interested parties.

Crime: Victims

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the remit of the National Victims Fund will extend to British residents who are victims of crimes committed abroad.

Claire Ward: The Victims Fund is used to provide funding to third sector organisations that support those bereaved by homicide. These services are provided by third sector organisations and are available to British residents in England and Wales regardless of where the homicide takes place.
	Applications for the 2010-11 fund are being processed and results will be announced shortly.
	The National Victims' Service will provide services to victims of crime who are resident in England and Wales regardless of where the crime takes place.

Crime: Victims

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what services his Department provides for the families of British victims of homicides committed abroad.

Claire Ward: The Ministry of Justice provides funding to the charities Victim Support and SAMM National (Support After Murder and Manslaughter) to deliver services to those bereaved by homicide. The service provided by Victim Support is available to anyone in England and Wales regardless of where the homicide takes place.
	The Justice Secretary recently announced the launch of a National Victims' Service. The first part of the service has begun with the introduction of the homicide scheme which will be delivered by Victim Support. This will provide focused support for each bereaved person and a range of commissioned services. Residents in England and Wales who are bereaved are entitled to support under this scheme wherever the homicide takes place.

Departmental Surveys

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will publish the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey relating to his Department;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department and its agencies.

Jack Straw: I will arrange for the results from the Civil Service People Survey for the Ministry of Justice and its agencies to be placed in the Library of each House.

Juries: North West

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people resident in Leeds North West constituency have been summoned for jury service  (a) once,  (b) twice,  (c) three times and  (d) four times in each year since 2005.

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows, on a national level basis for each calendar year from 2000-08, the following:
	 (a) how many people have been required for jury service
	 (b) how many people have been supplied to the court for jury service
	 (c) how many people have been deferred from the original date they were summoned for jury service
	 (d) how many people have been excused from jury service
	 (e) how many people have been disqualified from jury service
	The Jury Central Summoning Bureau (JCSB) is not able to supply the information for Leeds North West as the data cannot be extracted in this way by the computer system.
	The JCSB is also unable to provide information on how many people have been summoned for jury service more than once. This is because jurors are selected on a completely random basis by the JCSB using the electoral voting registers supplied annually by each local authority. As the electoral registers are updated annually and due to the randomness of jury selection there is potential for some members of the public to be called for jury service more than once while some may never be called.
	
		
			   Calendar year end 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Total number of summons issues 79,115 579,473 492,561 461,980 431,432 388,154 390,671 412,666 416,689 
			 Total number of jurors supplied to the court 24,907 187,080 197,599 184,833 187,114 185,193 181,966 182,661 183,506 
			 Deferred to serve at a later date 8,860 61,435 59,786  65,754 63,741 61,254 66,174 66.806 
			 Number refused deferral 22 214 297 340 288 286 172 122 103 
			 Excused - by right having served in past two years 4,700 32,368 29,120 28,247 14,887 4,333 4,277 4,518 4,244 
			 Excused - Child Care 3,410 27,685 26,281 24,327 19,497 15,741 15,690 16,118 15,711 
			 Excused - Work Commitments 2,781 26,640 25,628 19,373 14,961 14,419 15,998 16,428 16,857 
			 Excused - Medical 5,650 44,435 40,982 35,061 34,016 32,239 30,332 32,416 31,289 
			 Excused - Travel Difficulties 186 2,394 1,811 1,110 813 672 720 651 690 
			 Excused - Student 736 5,468 5,899 3,979 2,438 2,150 2,209 2,273 2,429 
			 Excused - Moved From Area 1,549 11,073 6,254 3,419 2,498 2,181 2,454 2,988 2,543 
			 Excused - Language Difficulties 849 5,921 5,928 5,260 4,975 4,081 4,030 4,406 4,165 
			 Excused - Other 2,521 20,678 22,354 22,400 23,103 21,658 24,126 27,784 30,606 
			  All excused 22,382 176,662 164,257 143,176 117,188 97,474 99,836 107,582 108,534 
			   
			 Number refused excusal 421 2,494 1,927 3,453 4,344 3,585 2,053 1,641 1,515 
			 Disqualified - residency, mental disorders, criminality 15,248 118,339 105,314 98,045 89,112 77,364 85,061 94,171 96,325 
			 Disqualified - on selection 5,989 48,271 59,892 58,830 55,410 49,765 53,031 58,900 59,017 
			 Disqualified - failed Police National Computer (PNC) check 0 69 160 139 148 193 185 207 225

Lionel Crabb

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make available for public inspection in the National Archives all papers relating to the disappearance and death in 1956 of Commander Buster Lionel Crabb RN, OBE, GM; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The National Archives hold a number of records relating to the disappearance of Commander Buster Lionel Crabb (PREM 11/2077; CAB21/3887; F0371/122885; and ADM 1/29241), all of which are available for public inspection. Some portions of these records however have been retained by the transferring Departments under section 3.4 of the Public Records Act. Where records are retained, this is the decision of the relevant Department.

Prison Sentences

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many indeterminate sentences for public protection handed down  (a) between 14 July and 31 December 2008 and  (b) in 2009 were given with tariffs of no more than 23 months.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 8 March 2010 , Official Report, columns 93-94W.

Prisoners: Death

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many deaths of prisoners serving a determinate sentence were recorded in each year since 2005; how many such deaths were self-inflicted; and how many determinate sentenced prisoners there were in each of those years;
	(2)  how many incidents of self-harm were recorded by prisoners serving a determinate sentence in each year since 2005.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is combined in the following table:
	
		
			  Determinate sentenced prisoners( 1)  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 2)  2010( 3) 
			 Population 56,375 56,218 56,120 56,852 n/a n/a 
			 Deaths in custody 94 94 85 98 78 20 
			 Self-inflicted deaths only 29 36 29 25 20 4 
			 Self-harm incidents 13,128 12,241 10,719 11,730 n/a n/a 
			 (1) Determinate prisoners in this answer are defined as those recorded as serving the following sentences: less than or equal to six months; more than six months but less than 12 months; more than or equal to 12 months but less than four years and more than or equal to four years but excluding life.  (2) Population figures for 2009 are not available at the time of writing.  (3) Self-harm figures for 2009 remain subject to verification and are not yet available. 2010 figures are not available for similar reasons. Two deaths are currently awaiting further information before classifying. 
		
	
	Any death in prison custody is a tragic event. The Government, Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service, (NOMS) are committed to learning from such events and reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in prison custody.
	NOMS has a broad, integrated and evidence-based prisoner suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all those in prison. This encompasses a wide spectrum of prison and Department of Health work around such issues as mental health, substance misuse and resettlement. Any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm is cared for using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork procedures.

Prisons: Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to record centrally the number of closed visits made on the prison estate.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service records centrally the number of closed visits imposed within the prison estate. In 2008-09 closed visiting conditions were imposed on 1,817 occasions.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.

Public Sector: Disclosure of Information

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 25 February 2010,  Official Report, column 664W, on public sector: disclosure of information, in respect of which of the 57 requests to the Unlocking Service which have been accepted the data requested have been released.

Michael Wills: The Unlocking Service is not primarily concerned with the release of data. Its main purpose is to allow people to resolve issues concerned with re-use and publishing formats of data.
	Where requests have been classified as resolved, every issue identified in the original request has been fully addressed. Two of the resolved requests related to the availability of data and in both instances those data have been provided. The remaining resolved requests relate to licensing conditions, copyright notices, publishing formats and charging.

Public Sector: Disclosure of Information

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 25 February 2010,  Official Report, column 664W, on public sector: disclosure of information, for what reasons each request was given the status of  (a) resolved,  (b) unresolved and  (c) part resolved.

Michael Wills: Requests have been classified as resolved where every issue identified in the original request has been fully addressed and the current state corresponds to the requester's description of "My ideal solution" in the original request. If the request relates to the availability of data in a particular format, those data have been provided. If the request relates to a licensing issue, for example, that issue has been addressed.
	Requests have been classified as unresolved where the current state does not correspond to the requester's description of "My ideal solution" and where there has been no substantive change since the request was posted, work will be continuing or the issue is intractable.
	Requests have been classified as part resolved if there has been progression towards the requester's "ideal solution" but the current state does not fully meet this. Often in these cases there is continuing work or policy development. For example, a number of the requests relate to Ordnance Survey data, where commitments made in the Smarter Government White Paper address the requester's "ideal solution" but the issues are subject to a public consultation.

Sentencing

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people serving a custodial sentence had their conviction overturned on appeal in each year since 2005.

Claire Ward: The information requested is not available. Data collected within the central IT systems do not currently hold sufficient detail to allow identification of the type of sentence which is the subject of each appeal against a sentence heard in the Crown Court or Court of Appeal.
	Annual statistics on all appeals dealt with in the Crown Court against sentences given in the magistrates' court are published by the Ministry of Justice in table 6.10 of the annual command paper "Judicial and Court Statistics". Annual statistics on all appeals in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) against sentences in the Crown Court are also published in Table 1.6 of this report. The most recent edition, presenting statistics for 2004 to 2008, was published in September 2009.
	Copies of "Judicial and Court Statistics" are available in the Library of the House and from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.Justice.gov.uk/publications/judicialandcourt statistics.htm

Trade Unions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 383-84W, on trade unions, how many of the days staff of his Department and its agencies spent on trade union activity were spent in respect of each individual trade union recognised by his Department and its agencies in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: The number of days that were available to be spent on trade union activity by each of the trade unions in the Ministry in the last 12 months, for which information is available, are as follows:
	
		
			  MoJ (excluding NOMS) 
			   Total FTE  Total days 
			 DTUS 5 1,100 
			 PCS GEC 26.4 5,808 
			 FDA 1 220 
			 Prospect 1 220 
			 Total 33.4 7,348 
		
	
	The days quoted do not include PCS local representatives in MoJ (excluding NOMS). This figure is not known.
	
		
			  NOMS 
			   Total FTE  Total days 
			 PCS 34 7,480 
			 Prospect 2 440 
			 POA 106 23,320 
			 Prison Governors' Association 3 660 
			 Prison Service Joint Industrial Council 18 3,960 
			 Total 163 35,860

Trade Unions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether any authorisations of trade unions under section 30 of the Access to Justice Act 1999 have been withdrawn;
	(2)  how much has been recovered by trade unions under section 30 of the Access to Justice Act 1999 in each year since 1999;
	(3)  which trade unions have been authorised under section 30 of the Access to Justice Act 1999.

Jack Straw: No authorisations of trade unions under section 30 of the Access to Justice Act 1999 have been withdrawn.
	The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the amounts recovered by trade unions or any other approved membership organisation under section 30.
	All trade unions in England and Wales listed by the Certification Officer are covered to provide enhanced legal services to members and their families under the Access to Justice Act 1999. The current list is available at the website at:
	www.certoffice.org

Young Offenders

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of young offenders supervised by youth offending teams were in full-time training and employment in  (a) England and  (b) each youth offending team area in each of the last four years; and how many and what proportion of young offenders were on secure remand in each youth offending team area in each of the last four years.

Maria Eagle: Data relating to this question have been placed in the House Library.
	Education, training and employment: Table A shows the number and the proportion of young people on relevant youth justice disposals in each youth offending team in England who were in full-time education, training and employment (ETE) in each of the last four years. 'Relevant youth justice disposals' are defined as programmes resulting from a Final Warning with intervention, relevant community-based penalty or the community element of a custodial sentence. Relevant community-based penalties include Referral Orders, Reparation Orders, Action Plan Orders, Drug Treatment and Testing Orders, Supervision Orders (with or without conditions), Community Rehabilitation Orders (with or without conditions) and Community Punishment and Rehabilitation Orders.
	Full-time ETE is defined here as 25 or more hours for young people of school age and 16 hours for those above school age.
	Secure Remands: The number and proportion of young offenders on secure remand in each of the youth offending team areas in the last four years is not held centrally. However the YJB has figures for the average number of young people aged 10-17 on custodial remands in each YOT area in England in each of the last four years, which is shown in Table B. Custodial remand includes young people who are remanded in custody, convicted awaiting sentence or subject to court ordered secure remand. These data take a snapshot of young people who are on remand at a particular point in time which is then averaged out over the year.
	The data have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change overtime. Differences in counting rules may mean that figures from other databases are not directly comparable.

Young Offenders: Education

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to increase the level of training and education provided to young offenders under pre-release schemes.

Maria Eagle: Government recently passed legislation through the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 to bring improvements for education and training for young people detained in the youth secure estate. It makes local authorities responsible for learning for young people detained in youth custody and aligns arrangements in custody with the mainstream learning sector for the first time. This aims to increase consistency and continuity of learning for young people entering and leaving youth custody. The Act also includes a new duty on local authorities to make arrangements for education and training provision for the person on their release from custody, when appropriate for them to do so.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases managed by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission relate to absent parents in Banff and Buchan constituency.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases managed by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission relate to absent parents in Banff and Buchan constituency.
	Latest figures show, as at December 2009, the number of cases in Scotland is 111,050; of these 1,820 are in the Parliamentary Constituency of Banff and Buchan. These figures include old scheme cases with a full or interim maintenance assessment as well as current scheme cases with a full maintenance calculation or default maintenance decision. Figures are adjusted to reflect those cases administered clerically.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Cold Weather Payments

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2010,  Official Report, column 68W, on cold weather payments: highlands of Scotland, in respect of how many weather stations cold weather payments have been triggered in 2010; what payments have been made in respect of each weather station in 2010; and what estimate has been made of the number of potential qualifiers in respect of each weather station in 2010.

Helen Goodman: The information requested is given in the table.
	
		
			  Cold weather payments in 2010 for weather stations linked to the Highlands 
			  Weather station  Triggers  Estimated number of potential qualifiers  Estimated number of payments authorised 
			 Aultbea 0 600 0 
			 Aviemore 5 800 4,000 
			 Cassley 5 400 2,000 
			 Kinloss 3 15,200 45,600 
			 Loch Glascarnoch 6 800 4,800 
			 Lusa 2 700 1,400 
			 Machrihanish 1 3,100 3,100 
			 Tiree 0 100 0 
			 Tulloch Bridge 7 2,100 14,700 
			 Wick Airport 2 2,600 5,200 
			  Notes:  1. The Highlands has been interpreted as the unitary authority of that name.  2. Some of the weather stations listed are also linked to areas that are not part of the Highlands.  3. Figures are based on triggers notified in the calendar year 2010 up to and including 17 March.  4. The estimates of potential qualifiers and payments authorised relate to the entire area the weather station is linked to, not just to those in the Highlands.  5. The estimated numbers of potential qualifiers have been rounded to the nearest 100.  6. The estimated number of payments authorised for a weather station has been calculated as the number of triggers multiplied by the estimated number of potential qualifiers for that weather station.   Source:  DWP records of triggers to weather stations up to and including 17 March 2010 and estimated numbers of potential qualifiers by weather station.

Cold Weather Payments: Angus

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) households and  (b) individuals in weather station areas covering Angus have received cold weather payments since 1 November 2009.

Helen Goodman: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Weather stations covering Angus parliamentary constituency 
			  Weather station  Estimated number of benefit units which have received cold weather payments since 1 November 2009 
			 Braemar 1,600 
			 Dyce 24,900 
			 Leuchars 41,100 
			 Strathallan 10,000 
			  Notes:  1. Cold weather payments are made to benefit units rather than to households or individuals. A benefit unit can be a single person or a couple and can include children.  2. Each of the weather stations listed also covers an area that is not part of Angus parliamentary constituency.  3. The estimated number of benefit units which have received cold weather payments relates to the entire area that the weather station covers, not just to that in Angus parliamentary constituency.  4. Estimated numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.   Source:  DWP records of triggers to weather stations up to and including 18 March 2010 and estimated numbers of potential qualifiers by weather station. 
		
	
	The Government provide information about cold weather payments on the Directgov website at:
	www.direct.gov.uk
	This includes the eligibility rules, details of how payments are made and a postcode search which allows customers to find out whether the weather station that is linked to a specific postcode has triggered.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet her Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Jim Knight: The DWP internal website for staff is called DWP Intranet. No commissions for a redesign of the DWP Intranet have been made since 2005 and therefore no costs have been incurred.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons the departmental expenditure limit for her Department in 2009-10 changed from £9.728 million in her Department's three-year business plan to £9.2 billion in the pre-Budget report.

Jonathan R Shaw: The 2009-10 figure of £9.728 billion presented in the Department's three-year business plan represented the total funding available to the Department. This included additional funding agreed at pre-Budget report 2008 and Budget 2009, to support the Department in its response to the recession.
	The revised figure of £9.2 billion presented in the pre-Budget report 2009 represented a departmental group which includes the Government Equalities Office.
	The Department for Work and Pensions proportion of this funding was £9.090 billion. This was reflected in the winter supplementary estimate laid in Parliament on 24 November 2009.
	The Department's final funding position for 2009-10 is set out in the spring supplementary estimate which was laid in Parliament on 23 February 2010.

Departmental Travel

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much  (a) Ministers and  (b) staff of each grade in (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies spent on first-class travel in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has over 100,000 staff operating from over 1,000 office locations across the UK. The Department's travel policy encourages staff to travel using the most cost-effective tickets available at the time of booking and staff must consider travelling standard class where possible.
	The spend for first-class travel by DWP for the last 12 months (February 2009 January 2010) is as follows:
	
		
			   DWP first-class travel spend (£000) 
			 Ministers 26 
			   
			  DWP agencies:  
			 Jobcentre Plus 3,134 
			 Pension, Disability and Carers Service 1,822 
			 The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission 995 
			 DWP Corporate Functions 7,452 
			   
			 Total DWP (excluding Ministers) 13,403 
		
	
	There was no first-class air travel undertaken in the period in question and therefore all of the above figures relate to rail travel.
	The split by grade is not available for the required period.
	Travel by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. The Civil Service Management Code sets outs regulations and instructions to Departments and agencies regarding the terms and conditions of service of civil servants and the delegations which have been made by the Minister for the Civil Service under the Civil Service (Management of Functions) Act 1992 together with the conditions attached to those delegations.
	The code can be accessed at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/csmc/index.aspx
	Paragraph 8.2 of the code deals with travel and under this section Departments and agencies must ensure that staff use the most efficient and economic means of travel in the circumstances, taking into account any management benefit or the needs of staff with disabilities.

Disability Living Allowance

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of people aged between 60 and 64 years old claiming the higher rate care component of disability living allowance on the grounds of terminal illness.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 March 2010
	The information requested is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance special rules cases in payment receiving the higher rate care component as at August 2009 
			   £ 
			 Aged 60 to 64 10,500 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. All recipients under special rules are entitled to the higher rate care component. Information on the mobility component awarded to special rules claimants is included, however this part of the award may not be associated with special rules. 3. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  Source:  Work and Pensions Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample. 
		
	
	 Caution
	The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants. The Department recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5 per cent. sample data, or disabling condition is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100 per cent. total for the benefit. The figures have been rated to agree with Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study totals.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time was for a work capability assessment to be conducted for claimants for employment and support allowance in the latest period for which information is available.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 2 March 2010
	 The average time from the date an employment and support allowance claim starts to the date that Atos advice is given is shown in the following table. Information is provided from October 2008 (when employment and support allowance was introduced) to June 2009 (the latest data that can be used to calculate a reliable average).
	
		
			   Average calendar days from claim start to Atos assessment 
			 October 2008 148 
			 November 2008 145 
			 December 2008 145 
			 January 2009 135 
			 February 2009 129 
			 March 2009 121 
			 April 2009 112 
			 May 2009 104 
			 June 2009 100 
			  Note: The actual time that Jobcentre Plus and Atos take to complete a case may be different as we cannot exclude any backdating of a claim or include the time from Atos advice to the Jobcentre Plus decision on entitlement.

Employment Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job point kiosks there are; how much her Department spent on job point kiosks since their introduction; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of job point kiosks; and what plans she has for the future of such kiosks.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many job point kiosks there are; how much her Department spent on job point kiosks since their introduction; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of job point kiosks; and what plans she has for the future of such kiosks. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The number of job points currently being managed under the terms of a commercial agreement between Jobcentre Plus and its current IT provider, Hewlett Packard, is 7,283.
	Running costs for the job points have amounted to £16.7 million since August 2007. Detailed costs prior to August 2007 are not available due to the way the Department was invoiced for services at that time.
	Our job points continue to form a key part of the Jobcentre Plus self service strategy and have enabled its customers to conduct approximately 89.5 million job searches a year through this key channel. Later this year, Jobcentre Plus will start to replace 5,000 of its current job points with new kiosks. These are specifically designed to improve accessibility, reliability and cost effectiveness and give a much greater opportunity to exploit new technologies to enhance customer service.
	Along with this replacement project, Jobcentre Plus is also installing an enhanced central kiosk management system that will provide much greater opportunity to monitor individual kiosk use and therefore continually assess effectiveness and future development.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Future Jobs Fund

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the planned duration of the Future Jobs Fund scheme is; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Details of the Future Jobs Fund were announced in Budget 2009 on page 102, box 5.4. The third bullet point states:
	'funding for local authorities and partners to take forward the creation of 100,000 new jobs in socially useful activity. 10,000 of these will be green jobs;'
	and the final paragraph goes on to say:
	'To support communities most affected by rising unemployment, the Government will allocate additional funding for local authorities to provide a further 50,000 jobs in areas of high unemployment across the country.'
	A copy of this Budget has been placed in the library and can also be accessed at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/bud09_completereport_2520.pdf
	We will continue to review the support that is available for jobseekers, and decisions on the Department's future expenditure limits and spending allocations will be taken at the Spending Review.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason tenants aged over 25 years may not as of right receive housing benefit for shared accommodation for amounts less than the sole tenancy amounts they would be entitled to if that is their choice; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 15 March 2010
	Housing benefit is an income-related benefit administered by local authorities to assist people on low incomes who need help to pay their rent. Tenants in the private rented sector have their benefit entitlement restricted to an amount considered to be reasonable for the area and their accommodation needs. As from 7 April 2008 the local authority uses the appropriate local housing allowance rate, based on the area where the person lives and the size of their household, to determine the maximum amount to be included in the housing benefit calculation.
	In the case of single people aged 25 years and over and couples with no dependent children, the local housing allowance rate for a one-bedroom properly would normally be used to calculate their benefit entitlement. However, if they choose to live in a property where they do not have either exclusive use of two or more rooms, or exclusive use of one room, a bathroom and toilet and a kitchen or facilities for cooking, the shared room rate would apply.

Income Support

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons her Department's decision of 8 October 2009 to grant income support in respect of the case with reference NINO YX220262A with effect from 12 August 2008 has not been implemented; and when she expects that decision to be implemented.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 15 March 2010
	The administration of income support is a matter for Jobcentre Plus. I have asked the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh, to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking for what reasons her Department's decision of 8 October 2009 to grant Income Support in respect of the case with reference NINO YX 22 02 62A with effect from 12 August 2008 has not been implemented; and when she expects that decision to be implemented. This is something that falls within my responsibilities as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	As this is a personal matter relating to the individual involved, I will write to you separately.

Jobcentre Plus: Recruitment

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of the 16,000 additional Jobcentre Plus positions announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 and Budget 2009 have been filled; and whether her Department is actively recruiting to fill the remainder of the positions;
	(2)  what the average length of time was between an application being received for one of the 16,000 additional Jobcentre Plus positions announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 and Budget 2009 and  (a) the (i) offer and (ii) start date of a job and  (b) the issue of a letter to an unsuccessful applicant;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of applicants for the 16,000 additional Jobcentre Plus positions announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 and Budget 2009 have successfully completed the application process and are awaiting appointment;
	(4)  how many of the additional  (a) 6,000 staff announced in pre-Budget report 2008 and  (b) 10,000 staff announced in Budget Report 2009 have been recruited.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning the recruitment to 16,000 additional Jobcentre Plus positions announced in the Pre-Budget Report 2008 and Budget 2009. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus began recruiting after the Pre-Budget Report 2008 announcement to deal with increased workloads as a result of the economic downturn. The majority of recruitment took place between April 2009 and September 2009, but Jobcentre Plus has continued making job offers in lower numbers up to December 2009. All of the additional headcount announced in the Pre-Budget Report 2008 and the Budget Report 2009 has now been recruited.
	Recruitment was managed through more than 500 local recruitment exercises so as to most effectively recruit this volume of additional resource and to target recruitment activity in alignment with local workload pressures. To provide the level of detail in relation to the average time between application and offer, start date, or rejection notice that you have asked for would not be possible, as to obtain this would be at disproportionate cost.
	There are Service Level Agreements within the Department with set targets for the time taken to recruit. The recruitment process from the advertisement to the point that an applicant has successfully passed sift and interview, will be completed in 45 working days. Employment checks should then be completed in 20 working days with a further 7 days where final checks are made if someone has failed initial employment checks. A formal job offer will only be made after the employment checks have been completed. The subsequent start date will depend on each individual applicant's circumstances, such as the requirement to give notice.
	Those applicants not successful at any stage of the process will be informed immediately.
	All of the additional positions announced have now been filled. Therefore, there is no one awaiting appointment to those posts. However, with over 100,000 applicants to these posts it meant that there were significant numbers of people achieving the required level at interview stage. Where numbers of suitable candidates exceeded demand, these people were put on waiting lists in case future posts became available.
	We continue to monitor workloads and have been managing staffing at current levels since January 2010 with further recruitment on hold, apart from a few exceptions where workloads or staff turnover need addressing. We have advised the 8000 or so people that successfully completed the application process and who remain on waiting lists that it is unlikely that there will be many further offers of employment made.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus: Redundancy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus staff  (a) have been made redundant and  (b) have failed to have a fixed-term contract renewed in each month since January 2008.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Jobcentre Plus staff  (a) have been made redundant and  (b) have failed to have a fixed term contract renewed in each month since January 2008. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	No Jobcentre Plus staff have been made redundant since January 2008.
	The table below gives details of the number of people on Fixed Term Appointments (FTAs) that left when their contracts came to an end for each month since January 2008 to September 2009. This is the latest date for which figures have been published.
	Please note that this will include people who have already had their contract end date extended, but then leave on their new end date without further extension. The figures exclude people that have left before the end of their contract for various reasons, such as dismissal for poor performance and resignation. Numbers quoted are in full time equivalents.
	
		
			  Number of people on fixed term appointments (FTAs) who left when their contracts came to an end (January 2008 to September 2009) 
			   2008  2009 
			 January 1 2 
			 February 0 4 
			 March 11 7 
			 April 4 5 
			 May 0 5 
			 June 9 5 
			 July 6 11 
			 August 13 6 
			 September 14 15 
			 October 5 - 
			 November 3 - 
			 December 4 - 
			 Source:  Dataview 
		
	
	I hope this information is helpful.

National Employment Savings Trust

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what consideration was given to the scope for the re-use of established systems and IT infrastructure in the procurement process for scheme administration services for the National Employment Savings Trust;
	(2)  by what mechanism the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority intends to achieve its strategic aim of re-using existing business services and IT infrastructure for the delivery of services for the National Employment Savings Trust.

Angela Eagle: A major area of focus of the scheme administration services procurement process was consideration of the benefits of, and possibilities for, the re-use of established systems and IT infrastructure.
	At the pre-qualification stage, PADA challenged prospective suppliers on their existing pension administration services, client base and technology assets. Responses on these topics formed part of the consideration which led to four suppliers being short-listed for competitive dialogue.
	Throughout the competitive dialogue, PADA worked with the qualified bidders to understand how they would deliver the service using pre-existing, off-the-shelf software and infrastructures.
	The winning bidder, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., demonstrated its ability and commitment to using established systems by building a version of the production system, based on its existing IT infrastructure, which demonstrated the strength of its capability to deliver the service requirements.

National Employment Savings Trust

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking in the procurement process for scheme administration services for the National Employment Savings Trust to ensure that the preferred solution minimises the administrative burden on businesses and simplifies the contribution mechanism for employees.

Angela Eagle: NEST will be one of the schemes employers can use to fulfil their new duties under the work place pension reforms, legislated for in the Pensions Act 2008.
	PADA conducted the procurement of the scheme administration services with regard to the principles set out in the Act, one of which is to minimise the burdens placed on employers. For example, producing payment schedules for employers, clearly setting out the amounts to be paid and by when. Also, ensuring that employers and workers wishing to make additional contributions can do so using a range of payment methods.
	This principle is reflected in the business requirements for NEST, which were developed with regard to market research with target employers and members. The winning bidder, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., has confirmed it will fully meet these requirements.

New Deal Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Southport of 13 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1035W, on New Deal schemes: young people, if she will provide figures for the number of repeat participants by the number of times each repeated for each New Deal programme in each year since its inception.

Jim Knight: Reliable statistics on repeat participants of the voluntary New Deal programmes would be available only at a disproportionate cost.

Pension Credit: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Leeds North West constituency receive  (a) a basic state pension and  (b) pension credit; and how much on average such people receive in pension credit each week.

Angela Eagle: As at March 2009, there were 15,100 recipients of the basic state pension in Leeds North West constituency.
	 Notes:
	1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	 Source:
	Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample
	The information requested on the number of recipients of pension credit in Leeds North West constituency and the average weekly award of pension credit received is in the following table:
	
		
			   Number  
			   Individual beneficiaries  Households recipients  Average weekly award of pension credit (£) 
			 As at August 2009 3,680 3,100 50.55 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 3. Pension credit is claimed on a household basis. The average weekly award of pension credit is in relation to the household. 4. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data

Pensioners

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of active members of defined  (a) benefit and  (b) contribution pension schemes in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: The requested information is not available. The following table sets out the number of active members of defined benefit and defined contribution occupational pension schemes for available years from 1995 to 2008.
	In addition, individuals may contribute to personal or stakeholder pensions, which are defined contribution pension arrangements between an individual and the pension provider. Some individuals have more than one form of pension provision which means that there will be some double counting between personal and stakeholder pension holdings and the occupational pension memberships presented above. Information on personal and stakeholder pension arrangements are published by the HMRC:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/menu.htm
	
		
			  Million 
			   Defined benefit schemes  Defined  contribution schemes  Total 
			 1995 9.2 1.1 10.3 
			 2000 9.0 1.2 10.1 
			 2004 8.6 1.2 9.8 
			 2005 - 1.0 - 
			 2006 8.2 1.0 9.2 
			 2007 7.9 0.9 8.8 
			 2008 8.0 1.0 9.0 
			  Notes:  1. The 2005 survey did not cover the public sector and a total defined benefit figure is therefore not available.  2. Changes to the methodology for 2006 onwards mean that comparisons with 2005 and earlier years should be treated with caution.   Source:  Occupational Pension Schemes Survey.

Poverty: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the standard of living of  (a) families in Birmingham,  (b) the poorest 20 per cent. of families in Birmingham,  (c) pensioners in Birmingham and  (d) the poorest 20 per cent. of pensioners in Birmingham (i) in 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures is available.

Helen Goodman: The measurement of living standards is a complex and multidimensional issue and, as such, there are many possible measures. It is generally accepted that income is central to any standard of living measurement.
	Income statistics published in the Households Below Average Income series only allow analysis at Government office region level. Therefore, information for Birmingham is not available, although figures relating to the west midlands Government office region are. Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. Weekly income levels are rounded to the nearest pound.
	
		
			  Table 1: Median weekly equivalised incomes for all families and the median equivalised incomes of the 20 per cent. of families with lowest incomes, west midlands, 1997/98-1999/2000 to 2005/06-2007/08, in 2007/08 prices-before and after housing costs 
			   Median income (£ per week) 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			  Period  All families  20 per cent.  of families with lowest incomes  All families  20 per cent .  of families with lowest incomes 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 336 169 275 122 
			 2005-06 to 2007-08 369 181 315 133 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Median weekly equivalised incomes for all pensioners and the median equivalised incomes of the 20 per cent. of pensioners with lowest incomes, west midlands, 1997/98-1999/2000 to 2005/06-2007/08, in 2007/08 prices-before and after housing costs 
			   Median income (£ per week) 
			   Before housing costs  After  housing costs 
			  Period  All pensioners  20 per cent. of pensioners with lowest incomes  All pensioners  20 per cent. of pensioners with lowest incomes 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 262 158 224 131 
			 2005-06 to 2007-08 324 187 301 169 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data. The Households Below Average Income series is available in the Library. 2. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. The figures are based on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development equivalisation factors. 6. Figures have been presented on both a Before Housing Cost and After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Cost they are. 7. Incomes are presented in 2007-08 prices and have been rounded to the nearest pound sterling. 8. Families are defined as a single adult or couple living as married and any dependent children, including same sex couples (civil partnerships and cohabitees) from January 2006. A household is made up of one or more families. Families can include individuals over state pension age. 9. The median income is the income of the middle person in the population, such that half the population have incomes below the median and half the population have incomes above the median. The median is used instead of the mean income because the mean is affected by outlying cases with very high income values. This is consistent with relevant public service agreement indicators and the Households Below Average Income publication.

Poverty: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of  (a) the whole population,  (b) children and  (c) pensioners in Birmingham was living in poverty in each year since 1997.

Helen Goodman: Between 1998-99 and 2007-08 some 500,000 children were lifted out of relative poverty. Measures announced in and since Budget 2007 are expected to lift around a further 550,000 children out of poverty. Absolute poverty has been halved.
	Addressing pensioner poverty has been a priority for this Government. We have targeted help on the poorest pensioners, those who need it most, while providing a solid foundation of support for all.
	With the help of targeted support and additional funding there were 900,000 fewer pensioners living in relative poverty (after housing costs) in 2007-08 than in 1998-99.
	Estimates of poverty, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall number of people in poverty at Government office region level. Therefore, information for Birmingham is not available, though figures relating to the west midlands Government office region are available.
	Poverty for all individuals is presented both before and after housing costs. Child poverty is presented before housing costs and pensioner poverty is presented after housing costs, in line with the relevant Public Service Agreements. The most commonly used figures relate to those with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income for the three groups.
	Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. Figures are quoted rounded to the nearest percentage point. The following tables show the percentage of all individuals (Table 1), children (Table 2) and pensioners (Table 3) in the west midlands Government office region who have incomes below 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of individuals in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median for the west midlands, before and after housing costs (percentage) 
			  Proportion of individuals (percentage) 
			  Period  Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 20 23 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 20 24 
			 1999-00 to 2001-02 20 24 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 21 25 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 20 24 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 20 23 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 20 23 
			 2004-05 to 2006-07 20 23 
			 2005-06 to 2007-08 21 24 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of children in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median for the west midlands, before housing costs (percentage) 
			  Proportion of children (percentage) 
			  Period  Before housing costs 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 28 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 27 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 28 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 26 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 26 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 25 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 26 
			 2004-05 to 2006-07 26 
			 2005-06 to 2007-08 27 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Proportion of pensioners in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median for the west midlands, after housing costs (percentage) 
			  Proportion of pensioners (percentage) 
			  Period  After housing costs 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 28 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 28 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 27 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 28 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 26 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 23 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 20 
			 2004-05 to 2006-07 18 
			 2005-06 to 2007-08 18 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data. The Households Below Average Income series is available in the Library. 2. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. The figures are based on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development equivalisation factors. 6. Figures have been presented on both a before housing cost and after housing cost basis. For before housing cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing cost they are. 7. Proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 
		
	
	A local child poverty indicator-including constituency level information-has been developed that captures the number and proportion of children in families in receipt of out of work benefits, or in receipt of tax credits where their reported income is less than 60 per cent. of median income. Details can be found via the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/child_poverty.htm
	The measure enables local partners to make an assessment of the level and geographical distribution of income deprivation in their area and focuses local partners on taking action to help raise family incomes.

Poverty: Children

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of children in Salford who have been lifted out of poverty since 1997.

Helen Goodman: The Government's declared aim is to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Our determination to do so is as firm as ever and this is demonstrated by introducing the Child Poverty Bill. The Child Poverty Bill will bring new impetus to eradicating child poverty by 2020. It will provide a definition of success and sets a framework to guarantee that Government and their partners at national and local levels make a clear and vital contribution towards ending child poverty.
	Between 1998-09 and 2007-08 some 500,000 children were lifted out of relative poverty. Measures announced in and since Budget 2007 are expected to lift around a further 550,000 children out of poverty. Absolute poverty has been halved.
	Each year different households are surveyed to produce low income statistics and estimates of poverty that are published in the Households Below Average Income series. Information is therefore available about the net change in the number of children with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income.
	However, estimates of poverty, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall number of people in poverty at Government office region level. Therefore, information for Salford is not available, though figures relating to north-west Government office region are. These are given in the table.
	Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. Figures are quoted rounded to the nearest 100,000 children. Child poverty is presented before housing costs in line with the child poverty public service agreements.
	
		
			  Change between 1997-98-1999-2000 and 2005-06-2007-08 in the number of children in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median for the north-west, before housing costs (million) 
			   Number of children (million) 
			  Change  Before housing costs 
			 1997-98-1999-2000 to 2005-06-2007-08 0.1 
			  Notes:  1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data. The Households Below Average Income series is available in the Library.  2. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.  3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility.  4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  5. The figures are based on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development equivalisation factors.  6. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. 
		
	
	A local child poverty indicator-including constituency level information-has been developed that captures the number and proportion of children in families in receipt of out of work benefits, or in receipt of tax credits where their reported income is less than 60 per cent. of median income. Details can be found via the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/child_poverty.htm
	The measure enables local partners to make an assessment of the level and geographical distribution of income deprivation in their area and focuses local partners on taking action to help raise family incomes.

Poverty: Children

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of children in postcode areas L20, L21 and L22 were living in poverty in each year since 2000.

Helen Goodman: Estimates of poverty, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall number of people in poverty at Government office region level. Therefore, information for the postcode areas L20, L21 and L22 are not available.

Social Security Benefits

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether guidance has been issued to local authorities on the application of the provisions of the Contracting Out (Functions of Local Authorities: Income-Related Benefits) Order 2002 to  (a) the contracting out of (i) the administration of income-related benefits relating to local housing allowance applications and (ii) functions relating to other income-related benefits and  (b) the agreement of a contractual arrangement relating to the administration of income-related benefits without making financial payments for the service;
	(2)  what her Department's policy is on the contracting out by local authorities of arrangements for income-related benefits.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 16 March 2010
	The policy on the contracting out by local authorities of arrangements for income-related benefits is set out in the Contracting Out (Functions of Local Authorities: Income-Related Benefits) Order 2002 [SI 2002 No. 1888]. This order, which came into force on 25 July 2002, allows local authorities to authorise people other than those directly employed by them, to carry out a wider range of functions connected with the administration of housing benefit (including local housing allowance), council tax benefit and discretionary housing payments. The order does not change local authorities' ultimate responsibility and they remain fully accountable and responsible for the administration of these benefits.
	Guidance circular HB/CTB A22/2002 was issued to local authorities in September 2002, giving information about the order. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of customer claims for  (a) attendance allowance,  (b) disability living allowance,  (c) incapacity benefit and  (d) employment and support allowance have been denied in the last five years; how many and what percentage of these denied claims have been appealed against; and in how many cases the appeal has been successful.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 4 March 2010
	Information about the number and percentage of denied claims that have been appealed against and the subsequent number of successful appeals is not available.
	Information about the work capability assessment for employment and support allowance claims in Great Britain is available in the Department for Work and Pension's Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment Statistic Release (January 2010). A copy of this report is available in the Library and can be found on our website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/esa_wca_arc.asp
	This report contains details of the number of initial assessments carried out since the introduction of employment and support allowance, a breakdown of the result of the assessment, including the fit for work decision and separate information relating to work capability assessment appeals.
	The available information on attendance allowance, disability living allowance, and incapacity benefit is in the tables.
	
		
			  N umber and percentage of attendance allowance and disability living allowance new claims that are denied 
			   Total number of attendance allowance decisions made  Number of attendance allowance claims denied  Percentage of attendance allowance claims denied  Total number of disability living allowance decisions made  Number of disability living allowance claims denied  Percentage of disability living allowance claims denied 
			 2005-06 408,390 85,660 21 429,290 228,050 53 
			 2006-07 387,960 78,480 20 422,550 226,170 54 
			 2007-08 373,890 67,860 18 456,090 248,820 55 
			 2008-09 388,220 64,060 17 466,680 252,540 54 
			 2009-10(1) 313,480 54,990 18 402,620 223,560 56 
			 (1 )YTD January.   Notes:  1. "Denied" claims has been interpreted to mean claims that have been disallowed.  2. The number of decisions made is not equal to the number of new claims made. This is because there is always a percentage of customers who make a new claim and withdraw their request before a decision can be made. The percentage of disability living allowance and attendance allowance claims denied is defined as the number of claims denied divided by the number of decisions made.   Source:  Management Information Reports: Report Disability Allowance (RDA) and Report Attendance Allowance (RAA) 60209 and 60205. 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber and percentage of incapacity benefit new claims that are denied 
			   Total claims processed  Total claims refused  Percentage refused of those processed 
			 2006-07 679,160 319,580 47 
			 2007-08 673,770 328,130 49 
			 2008-09 485,220 243,620 50 
			 2009-10(1) *21,449 14,398 67 
			 (1) To January 2010.   Notes:  1. Information is only available from 2006-07 as the MISP system holds data only from that date.  2. "Denied" claims has been interpreted as those claims refused at the new claims stage because they did not meet the criteria for incapacity benefit, i.e. they were not sick/incapacitated. This means they either did not have a medical certificate giving a reason for the incapacity from their GP therefore claimed the incorrect benefit or the sick note provided did not state an illness. These figures also include claims from those customers previously disallowed following a personal capability assessment who reclaim incapacity benefit within six months with the same condition.  3. The reduced numbers in 2009-10(*) are due to the introduction of employment and support allowance. Those refused as a percentage is higher as following the introduction of employment and support allowance, customers claiming incapacity benefit had to have a linking claim in order to qualify.  4. MISP is the departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tool. The statistics presented here have not been subject to the rigorous quality assurance processes that are used for official statistics and as a result they should be used with a degree of caution.   Source:  Management Information System Programme (MISP).

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged over 65 years with each main disability condition received  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) attendance allowance under special rules in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance special rules cases in payment to over 65s by main disabling condition at August 2009 
			  Disabling condition  Cases in payments 
			 Arthritis 500 
			 Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease - 
			 Blindness/Visual Disease - 
			 Stroke Related - 
			 Malignant Disease 5,100 
			 Chest Disease 100 
			 Back Ailments 200 
			 Heart Disease 300 
			 Parkinson's Disease - 
			 Diabetes Mellitus - 
			 AIDS - 
			 Multiple Sclerosis - 
			 Other 1,500 
		
	
	
		
			  Attendance allowance special rules cases in payment by main disabling condition at August 2009 
			  Disabling condition  Cases in payments 
			 Arthritis 100 
			 Stroke Related 100 
			 Mental Health Causes - 
			 Malignant Disease 200 
			 Back Ailments - 
			 Heart Disease - 
			 Frailty - 
			 Other(1) 36,700 
			 (1) This figure includes cases that have been identified as terminally ill cases but the main disabling condition has not been recorded.  Notes: 1. Figures have been rated to agree with Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Caseload totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  Caution: The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5 per cent. sample data, or disabling condition (DLA) is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100 per cent. total for the benefit.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions 5 per cent. sample

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 105W, on social security benefits: fraud, how many ongoing investigations there are into cases of benefit fraud in each of the countries listed; how many of her Department's investigating officers are based abroad, and in which countries; with which countries her Department has arrangements in relation to benefit fraud; what the total budget is for her Department's Targeting Fraud campaign; and how much has been spent on the campaign to date.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 3 March 2010
	 Information regarding the number of ongoing benefit fraud investigations in other countries has been collected since 1 April 2009. The number of ongoing benefit fraud investigations since then in each of the countries requested is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Spain 167 
			 USA 54 
			 Cyprus 32 
			 Australia 20 
			 France 40 
			 Greece 11 
			 South Africa 8 
			 Canada 8 
			 Eire 14 
			 Portugal 13 
			 Austria 0 
			 Bahrain 0 
			 Bulgaria 4 
			 Holland 8 
			 India 42 
			 Italy 13 
			 New Zealand 3 
			 Pakistan 138 
			 Thailand 40 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 2 
		
	
	No Department for Work and Pensions benefit fraud investigators are based abroad. However, there are 16 Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff based abroad funded by the Department for Work and Pensions whose duties include undertaking information gathering on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions to assist UK-based fraud investigators in their work.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has Memoranda of Understanding with the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Australia and information sharing arrangements with New Zealand and the USA to ensure the correct administration of social security and prevention of benefit fraud.
	The budget for the 2009-10 Targeting Benefit Thieves campaign is £5 million. To the end of February the budget committed for 2009-10 is £4,803,420.52.

Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will investigate the situation whereby a non-resident parent in receipt of certain benefits including pensions paid on medical grounds can receive an income of almost £25,000 per annum and the resident parent receives the minimum weekly maintenance payment of £5 per week, irrespective of the number of children involved.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system.
	I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested in respect of the current position and I have seen the response.
	I should also add that as part of the development of regulations for the future child maintenance scheme, the policy affecting cases such as these is being reviewed.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will investigate the anomaly whereby a non-resident parent in receipt of certain benefits including pensions paid on medical grounds can receive an income of almost £25,000 per annum and the resident parent receives the minimum weekly maintenance payment of £5 per week, irrespective of the number of children involved.
	Non-resident parents in receipt of prescribed benefits will only be assessed as being able to pay the £5 per week flat rate of maintenance. This is not affected by the amount of benefit paid.
	It is possible for the parent with care to apply for a variation on the grounds that the non-resident parent receives other income which has not been taken into account. The Child Support (Variations) Regulations 2000 specifically provides for the initial £5 per week maintenance liability to be varied where the non-resident parent receives other income, which would have otherwise been taken in to account in the initial maintenance calculation process, were it not for the fact that the non-resident parent was receiving a prescribed benefit.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Social Security Benefits: Travelling People

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether  (a) council tax and  (b) housing benefit may be awarded to Travellers occupying camps without planning permission.

Helen Goodman: Council tax benefit is available to anyone who is liable for council tax.
	Where a Traveller's caravan occupies a non-established site or pitch for a period materially less than 12 months, with no sign of likely future use, this will generally be regarded as too transient to establish the pitch as a dwelling. For established sites or pitches, even if the occupier changes often, a banding will apply and a liability to council tax will exist.
	It is established rating law, applicable to council tax that a transitory occupation of land does not amount to rateable occupation. Whether the necessary permanence of occupation has been established for liability to arise will depend on the facts in each case.
	On the subject of housing benefit I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 8 March 2010,  Official Report, column 75W.

State Retirement Pensions

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the effects would be on  (a) public service and  (b) other occupational pension schemes if the level of the basic and additional state pensions were both increased by 1.5 per cent. instead of 2.5 per cent. in April 2010; and how many pensioners would (i) gain and (ii) lose as a result.

Angela Eagle: Current social security legislation provides for public service pension to be adjusted by the same rate as the additional pension, and for such adjustments to take place only if there has been an increase in the prices over a given period.
	The effect of increasing both the basic state pension and additional pension by 1.5 per cent., compared with increasing the basic state pension by 2.5 per cent., would be to reduce the average increase in state pension overall as a result of uprating in April 2010, from around £2 a week to around £1.50 a week.
	More detailed data on pensioners' overall income split by detailed source are not available.

State Retirement Pensions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take-up rate of basic state pension was  (a) nationally,  (b) in Essex and  (c) in Southend in the latest period for which figures are available; and what it was in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: The information requested can be found in the following tables where available. The figures relate to the proportion of the population in receipt of basic state pension, who are estimated to be over state pension age and alive at the end of March 2009.
	
		
			  Pensioners in Great Britain in receipt of basic state pension 
			   Number  Proportion over state pension age (percentage) 
			 2009 11,100,000 94 
			 2008 10,900,000 95 
			 2007 10,800,000 96 
			 2006 10,600,000 96 
			 2005 10,500,000 96 
			 2004 10,400,000 96 
			 2003 10,300,000 96 
			 2002 10,200,000 96 
		
	
	
		
			  Pensioners in Southend in receipt of basic state pension 
			   Number  Proportion over state pension age (percentage) 
			 2008 33,400 97 
			 2007 33,000 97 
			 2006 33,200 96 
			 2005 33,200 97 
			 2004 33,200 97 
			 2003 33,200 96 
			 2002 33,800 96 
		
	
	
		
			  Pensioners in Essex in receipt of basic state pension 
			   Number  Proportion over state pension age (percentage) 
			 2008 277,000 95 
			 2007 270,000 96 
			 2006 263,000 96 
			 2005 260,000 96 
			 2004 256,400 97 
			 2003 251,800 96 
			 2002 247,600 96 
			  Notes:  1. The latest population and administrative data are from 2009. The latest population figures for Essex and Southend are from the ONS Mid-2008 Population Estimates.  2. The earliest available regional caseload data only go back to 2002. Figures for Essex relate to Essex local authority district and for Southend relate to Southend-on-Sea unitary authority.  3. GB estimates are rounded to the nearest 100,000 people, those for Essex and Southend to the nearest 100 people.  4. The remaining pensioners not in receipt of a basic state pension, but eligible, will be in the process of deferring their state pension. Following a period of state pension deferral a claimant can either: (i) take a lump sum that will have accrued at a rate of two percentage points above the Bank of England base rate or; (ii) receive extra state pension whereby an additional one per cent. is added to the value of the state pension for every five weeks of deferral.

State Retirement Pensions

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) men and  (b) women in (i) Glenrothes, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the UK qualify for the full basic state pension.

Angela Eagle: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			   Total  Male  Female 
			 Glenrothes parliamentary constituency 11,200 6,000 5,100 
			 Scotland 633,400 316,800 316,600 
			 GB 6,952,000 3,661,200 3,290,700 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are for claimants with a full basic state pension as at March 2009. 2. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide. 3. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample

Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to constituency, the effects on that constituency of the policies and actions of her Department and its predecessor since 2000.

Jonathan R Shaw: DWP leads the Government's response to some of the biggest issues facing the country-welfare and pension reform-and is a key player in tackling child poverty(1). As the biggest delivery department in the UK, DWP makes a difference to millions of people every day, helping them to lead safer, fairer and more rewarding lives that are free from poverty. We want to give people more choice and control over their lives and are committed to providing greater choice and personalised support to everyone who needs it so they have the opportunity to get into and remain in work. We believe that work works. Even in economically challenging times we know that work works for the most vulnerable and the disadvantaged.
	 Support to find work
	Through Jobcentre Plus, we are promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age. Since January 1998, the number of people unemployed in Stroud has increased by 31 per cent. to 1,840, and the number unemployed for more than one year has decreased by 35 per cent. to 200. From August 2000 to August 2009 the number of lone parents claiming income support in Stroud has decreased by 25 per cent. to 660.
	Our New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, disabled people, the over-50s and partners of unemployed people to move from benefit into work. Since their inception, over 2.2 million people in Great Britain have found work with the support of the New Deal, and 2,670 have been helped in Stroud.
	 Support for children
	We introduced a target to halve child poverty by 2010-11 on the way to eradicating it by 2020. Poverty is measured using a headline indicator of the proportion of children in households with an income below 60 per cent. of contemporary household median income before housing costs. This is in line with international best practice.
	Statistics on the numbers of children living in poverty are not available at the constituency level.
	 Support for older people
	Since 1997 our strategy has been to target help on the poorest pensioners while providing a solid foundation of support for all.
	This year we will be spending over £13 billion more on pensioners than if we had continued with the policies that were in place in 1997. Around half of that money will go to the poorest third of pensioners.
	In 1997 the poorest pensioners, who received income support, lived on £69 a week (£98 in today's prices). Today pension credit, which was introduced in 2003, means no pensioner needs to live on less than £130 a week, £198.45 for couples. As of August 2009, 4,790 pensioners in Stroud are benefiting from pension credit.
	In 2007-08 there were 900,000 fewer pensioners living in relative poverty in UK compared to 1998-99 (measured as below 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income after housing costs).
	Statistics on the proportion of pensioners living in relative poverty are not available at constituency level. But the latest data for the south-west Government office region show that the proportion of pensioners in poverty (measured as below 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income after housing costs) fell from 24 per cent. to 18 per cent. since 2000(2).
	Pensioners in the UK also benefit from a range of additional support such as the winter fuel payment which this winter is worth £250 for households with someone aged between 60 to 79 and £400 for households with someone aged 80 or over. These payments provide vital reassurance to older people that they can afford to turn up their heating during cold weather. Prior to winter 1997-98 less than £60 million per year was spent helping pensioners meet their fuel bills-we now spend around £2.7 billion on winter fuel payments alone. In winter 2008-09 (the last winter for which information is available) 25,540 people aged 60 and over benefited from winter fuel payments in Stroud.
	We have also taken steps to strengthen and protect the private pensions system to ensure people can continue to have confidence to save for their future through the establishment of the Pensions Protection Fund, the Financial Assistance Scheme and a more powerful and proactive pensions regulator.
	The protection system ensures that, unlike in 1997, people are not left without a pension even in the event that their employer becomes insolvent.
	In total, 751 people in the south-west Government office region are receiving compensation from the Pension Protection Fund (data not available at constituency level)(3).
	We have also taken forward a radical package of pension reforms in the Pensions Acts of 2007 and 2008 which will deliver a fairer and more generous state pension and extend the opportunity of workplace pension saving to millions, many for the first time.
	The state pension reforms begin to come into effect from 2010 and will mean around three quarters of women reaching state pension age in 2010 are expected to qualify for a full basic state pension compared to half without reform.
	 Support for disabled people and carers
	Since 2001, we have significantly extended and improved civil rights for disabled people in areas such as employment, education, access to goods and services and transport. Disabled people in Stroud will have benefited from these improvements. The Welfare Reform Act 2009 contains powers to increase choice and control for disabled adults, including disabled parents who are entitled to state support, enabling them to choose how certain state support is used to meet their individual needs. This will be trailblazed in eight local authority sites from late 2010. Older and less well off carers have gained extra help through the provisions within the National Carers Strategy.
	(1) The Department for Work and Pensions was created in 2001 and so information relates to the Department and its predecessors.
	(2) Based on three-year averages and changes are rounded to the nearest percentage point or 100,000 pensioners between 2000-01 to 2002-03 and 2005-06 to 2007-08.
	(3) Regional information about assistance payments received by members from the Financial Assistance Scheme could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Vocational Training

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking to ensure that low-incidence sensory-impaired students will continue to be able to access national specialist residential training providers following the introduction of the new contracting arrangements.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government do not prescribe the type of training that should be available to people with specific impairments. However, the new contracts will ensure that this programme will be flexible and tailored to each individual.
	We know from evaluation undertaken in 2006 that residential courses tend to exclude some customers, including those who have caring responsibilities. The very limited locations in which provision is currently available exacerbate this. The new contracting arrangements seek to ensure that appropriate support will be available locally to a broader range of customers including women, ethnic minority groups and those who are unable to travel long distances.
	However, we recognise that the residential provision is important for some customer groups and so the new contracts will specify that residential training should be available where that is appropriate for the customer.

Winter Fuel Payments: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in York with at least one person aged 75 years or over received the winter fuel allowance in 2009-10.

Angela Eagle: For winter 2008-09, the latest year for which information is available, 6,500 households in the City of York constituency with at least one person aged 75 years or over received a winter fuel payment.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. data.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to answer Question 316427, on payments to the Government Car and Despatch Agency, tabled on 3 February 2010.

Jonathan R Shaw: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 17 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 869-70W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Dogs: Crime

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the incidence of the use of dogs in crime.

Meg Hillier: These data are not collected centrally. We are aware of the growing concerns about the use of dangerous dogs to harass and intimidate people. This has prompted the Government to introduce the new gang injunction power under the Policing and Crime Act 2009 and launch a public consultation on managing and controlling dangerous dogs.

Immigration Removal Centres

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were being held in immigration removal centres on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: As at 31 December 2009, 2,595 people were held in UK Border Agency immigration detention, none of whom were children.
	Published national statistics on the number of people detained solely under Immigration Act powers are published quarterly and are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website.

Antisocial Behaviour

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of anti-social behaviour were reported in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) each constituency,  (c) each police force area,  (d) each local authority area and  (e) each of the smallest geographical areas for which figures are available in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: The number of incidents of antisocial behaviour as defined in the National Incident Category List were requested as part of police forces annual data return in 2007-08 and 2008-09. Collection of National Standard for Incident Recording (NSIR) data through ADR 342 came into force on 1 April 2007. Prior to that, data returns for NISR were not mandatory.
	Data are not returned by  (b) constituency or  (d) local authority area.
	A copy of the detailed tables showing the figures for England and Wales, each police force area and the smallest geographical area available (police force basic command unit) in 2007-08 and 2008-09 have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The data are normally for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. They are provisional and may be subject to change. The data represent calls for service as recorded by police forces under the relevant categories and may be subject to local variation in reporting and classifying.

Antisocial Behaviour

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of police forces in tackling antisocial behaviour.

David Hanson: We expect all agencies to prioritise antisocial behaviour. ASB is to be tackled not tolerated-police and other agencies must protect victims and punish perpetrators. To that end we have asked all areas to draw up minimum standards of service for the public by the end of this month. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's (HMIC) tough independent inspections on police forces' performance are a welcome addition to our commitment to accountability and transparency in continuing to raise standards.

Arrest Warrants

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many European arrest warrants issued in the UK have been executed in each other EU member state in each month since their introduction.

Meg Hillier: The figures for the number of persons extradited to the UK under European arrest warrants (EAWs) since their introduction are as follows:
	
		
			   Persons extradited to the UK 
			 2004 19 
			 2005 63 
			 2006 76 
			 2007 99 
			 2008 96 
		
	
	It is not possible from current systems to provide data broken down into the number of EAWs issued in the UK which have been executed in respect of each other member state or in each month. This would require a manual examination of all files and incur disproportionate cost.

Arrest Warrants

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many European arrest warrants issued by each other EU member state have been executed in the UK.

Meg Hillier: SOCA and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (for Scotland) are the designated authorities for the receipt and transmission of European arrest warrants (EAWs) in the UK. The number of surrenders from the UK (excluding Scotland) to another member state since 2004 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 24 
			 2005 77 
			 2006 151 
			 2007 332 
			 2008 515 
		
	
	It is not possible from current systems to provide data broken down into the number of EAWs issued by each other EU member state. This would require a manual examination of all files and incur disproportionate cost.

Arrest Warrants: Republic of Ireland

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many European arrest warrants issued in the UK and served on a person in the Republic of Ireland resulted in that person being delivered to the UK authorities  (a) within one month,  (b) within two months,  (c) within three months,  (d) within six months and  (e) over six months after the warrant being served in the last three years.

Meg Hillier: It is not possible from current systems to provide data broken down by the time taken to secure transfer to UK jurisdiction of an alleged criminal from another member state of the European Union. To do so would require a manual examination of all files and incur disproportionate cost.

Arrest Warrants: Republic of Ireland

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many European arrest warrants issued in the UK relating to sex abuse cases have been served on people in the Republic of Ireland in the last three years.

Meg Hillier: It is not possible from current systems to break down the number of European arrest warrants issued in the UK by offence type and by EU member state. To do so would require a manual examination of all files and incur disproportionate cost.

Arrest Warrants: Republic of Ireland

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his practice to indicate to the Irish Government the  (a) importance and  (b) urgency of implementation of (i) extradition requests and (ii) European arrest warrants issued by the UK in relation to residents of Ireland.

Meg Hillier: Irrespective of the member state concerned, all cases are prioritised appropriately depending on the risk that the individual poses to that country and/or the intelligence available. If, as a result of this process, the case is deemed urgent, then an appropriate message would be sent to the relevant authorities in that country requesting immediate action.

Asylum

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) mean and  (b) median time taken to process an application for asylum was in December 2009.

Phil Woolas: The public service agreement (PSA) delivery agreement 3, indicator 2 refers to the reduction in the time to conclusion of asylum application. The measure is to ensure a target percentage of cases should be resolved within six months.
	The method of reporting against the target is based on the performance of the specific monthly cohort of cases reaching six months. Hence all reporting is done against a six months timeframe. A cohort is specified as those new applications received between 1 and 31 of each month.
	The conclusion measurement requires applications to be granted asylum or some form of leave to remain in the UK, allowed at appeal or removed within 182 days (six months) to be counted as concluded.
	Performance against the targets has been published in National Statistics as follows:
	61 per cent. of new applications received in June 2009 were concluded, i.e. to grant asylum or some other form of leave to remain or to remove from the UK, in six months by the end of December 2009.
	Published information is not available in relation to conclusion of applications in timescales other than six months.
	In 1997, the average time for an initial decision was 22 months. Records are not kept for the average time for conclusion for this time.

Asylum: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who have applied for asylum and are waiting for a decision on their application are resident in York.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Borders: Patrol Craft

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration patrol vessels  (a) operate in UK waters and  (b) have operated in UK waters in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Johnson: The UK Border Agency operates five offshore patrol ships in UK territorial waters and adjacent seas. These ships provide operational coverage 365 days a year.
	These ships were transferred from HM Revenue and Customs on 5 August 2009. HM Revenue and Customs, and HM Customs and Excise before that, had operated a five ship fleet since 2002.
	Prior to 2002, HM Customs and Excise operated seven smaller patrol ships and a range of smaller launches and rigid inflatable boats.
	UK Border Agency vessels work regularly in support of operations by other law enforcement agencies. In addition, UKBA officers respond to instances of suspected border crime in UK waters.

Departmental Consultants

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department,  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and  (c) each other body sponsored by his Department in each year since 2005.

Phil Woolas: Information on the Home Department's, including the Criminal Records Bureau, United Kingdom Border Agency and Identity and Passport Service agencies, total consultancy expenditure from 2005-06 is as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Total consultancy expenditure: Home Office Headquarters, UKBA, CRB and IPS 
			  Financial year  Expenditure on consultancy services (£ million) 
			 2005-06 139 
			 2006-07 148 
			 2007-08 96 
			 2008-09 139 
		
	
	Information on non-departmental public bodies' consultancy expenditure from 2005-06 is as follows:
	
		
			  Table 2: NDPBs' consultancy expenditure 
			   Financial year 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Independent Police Complaints Commission (£000) (1)- 53 158 578 
			 Independent Safeguarding Authority (£000) n/a n/a n/a 405 
			 National Policing Improvement Agency (£ million) n/a n/a 71 22 
			 Security Industry Agency (£000) 480 394 137 387 
			 Serious Organised Crime Agency (£ million) n/a 1.6 1.6 1.8 
			 (1) Unavailable. 
		
	
	Information on other bodies sponsored by the Department is not held and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Consultancy and advisory services cover the provision to the Home Office of objective advice and assistance relating to strategy, structure, management or operations of an organisation in pursuit of its purposes and objectives. The use of external consultants provides the Department with specialist knowledge, skill, capacity and technical expertise that would not otherwise be available.
	The Department's overall expenditure on consultancy services represents a small part of the Home Office's overall spend, and at the end of the first half of the current financial year, it stood at some 5.8 per cent. of total overall expenditure, down from 8 per cent. in the previous year.
	The Department has in place a series of workstreams designed to bear down on departmental reliance and expenditure on consultancy and other external resources, including being the first Government Department to have introduced (in 2009) prescribed daily fee rates for contractors.

Departmental ICT

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information technology projects initiated by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies were cancelled prior to completion in the last 12 months; and what the cost of each such project was to the public purse.

Phil Woolas: No information technology project with a cost threshold of £5 million or more has been cancelled within the Home Office core or its Executive agencies prior to its completion within the last 12 months and no costs have therefore been incurred. Below this cost threshold information is not readily available and could be obtained therefore only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1374W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office website
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk
	underwent a major redesign in 2005 costing £110,000. It subsequently underwent a minor redesign in 2008 to incorporate new corporate branding costing £50.000.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many designs for its  (a) internal website and  (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office intranet has undergone one major redesign since 2005. This took place in 2009 and cost £90,750.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what property has been recorded as  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

Phil Woolas: There is no centralised reporting mechanism for recording of reported thefts in the Home Department. To gather the information required would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Marketing

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 103W, on departmental marketing, how much his Department and agencies have spent on advertising, marketing, public relations and publicity in relation to  (a) Real Help Now and  (b) Building Britain's Future themed campaigns to date.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office and its agencies have not spent any money on advertising, marketing, public relations or publicity in relation to  (a) Real Help Now and  (b) Building Britain's Future themed campaigns.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff of each grade are employed by his Department to assist special advisers.

Phil Woolas: The Department employs one higher executive officer, one executive officer and one administrative officer to assist special advisers.

Detention Centres

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent nurses provided health services at  (a) Dungavel House,  (b) Tinsley House and  (c) Yarl's Wood in each of the last six years;
	(2)  how many full-time equivalent general practitioners provided health services at  (a) Dungavel House,  (b) Tinsley House and  (c) Yarl's Wood in each of the last six years.

Phil Woolas: The three centres provide 24-hour on- site medical care.
	The information available relates to period for which the current contractor has managed the centre.
	At Dungavel House, from September 2006 to May 2009, 7.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses provided health services. This increased to 8.25 FTE from May 2009. 0.75 FTE of a general practitioner attends the centre daily with additional support through an on call service.
	At Tinsley House, for the past six years, 5.3 FTE nurses have provided health services. 0.5 FTE of a general practitioner attends the centre daily in the current year. In each of the previous five years, the FTE has been 0.7.
	At Yarl's Wood, from April 2007, 13.2 FTE nurses have provided health services. 1.1 FTE of a general practitioner attends the centre daily.
	This information is taken from local data and has not been subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. The data are provisional and subject to change.

Detention Centres

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average it took for detainees to be transferred from Dungavel House to detention facilities in England in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 March 2010
	The information requested is not centrally recorded and can be provided only by detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Detention Centres

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is available at immigration removal centres for detainees diagnosed with stress or depression.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 March 2010
	All our immigration removal centres provide primary health care services equivalent to that found in the community.
	In accordance with the Detention Centre Rules 2001, all detainees undergo a health screening with a nurse within two hours of their arrival, and an appointment is made for them to see a GP within 24 hours. GPs will see detainees earlier than this if there is a particular acute need.
	The health care teams in immigration removal centres include Registered Mental Nurses and provide a range of welfare services such as counselling to help detainees to manage their time in detention where they are suffering from stress of depression.
	Where a detainee is suffering from a more serious form of mental illness, the centres have access to psychiatrists either to advise on the more appropriate course of action, in conjunction with the local primary care trust.

Detention Centres

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with his Italian counterparts on the removal to Italy of Eritrean detainees held in immigration removal centres.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 March 2010
	The UK Border Agency has regular discussions with our Italian counterparts on a variety of migration issues. This includes regular contact at senior level through the Justice and Home Affairs fora in Europe relating to issues surrounding the continued implementation of the Dublin regulations. Officials in UKBA, including a seconded member of staff permanently based in Rome, regularly discuss specific cases in terms of the Dublin regulations and the logistics of removal, and a number of these cases will relate to Eritreans in detention in the UK.

Detention Centres

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date a Minister from his Department last visited an immigration removal centre.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 March 2010
	I visited Dungavel House in December 2009.
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary visited Yarl's Wood in February 2010 and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office, the Member for Hackney, South and Shoreditch (Meg Hillier), visited Yarl's Wood in March 2010.
	This information is taken from local management data and is therefore provisional and subject to change.

Entry Clearances

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been to the number of entry clearance applications granted since the transfer of the processing of such applications from the British consulate in Tel Aviv to the British embassy in Istanbul; whether the decision to transfer responsibility for deciding such applications from Israel to Turkey was made as part of a wider Home Office policy; whether an equality impact assessment was carried out prior to this decision; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The hub and spoke programme was implemented in the British consulate in Tel Aviv on 7 April 2008. From this date, applications have been processed at the British embassy in Istanbul. Entry clearance decisions in Istanbul are made by a team of entry clearance officers (ECOs), all of whom at present are British nationals.
	Key benefits of the hub and spoke programme include the consolidation of staff and complicated administrative functions into fewer locations to improve productivity and efficiency; improved quality and consistency of decision making; greater resilience and flexibility of the overseas network by allowing staff and their work to be located in more stable locations; and the delivery of customer service benefits such as the increase in the number of locations at which applications can be registered.
	For the financial year of 2007-08, 1,886 visas were granted at the British consulate in Tel Aviv. Following the implantation of the hub and spoke programme, 1,500 visas applied for in Tel Aviv were granted in the financial year of 2008-09. Israelis do not require a visa to visit the UK.
	Although a formal Equality Impact Assessment did not take place, an internal impact assessment was carried out before the hub and spoke programme was implemented.

Entry Clearances: Africa

Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effects of the introduction of the points-based immigration system on the number of doctors and nurses from Africa applying to work in the NHS.

Phil Woolas: The points-based system enables health sector employers to recruit from abroad where no suitable residents are available. Where this is due to a national shortage of suitably skilled people the shortage occupation list eases their entry.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of entry clearance applications for settlement as a spouse in the UK submitted to the British consulate in Tel Aviv were granted prior to the transfer of the processing of such applications to the British embassy in Istanbul; what proportion of applicants were of  (a) Israeli and  (b) non-Israeli background; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Between April 2007 and March 2008, 152 applications for spouse/civil partner settlement, or leading to settlement visas, were processed at the British consulate in Tel Aviv, with an issue rate of 98 per cent. The processing of such applications was transferred to the British embassy in Istanbul on 7 April 2008.
	84 per cent. of the applicants were Israeli nationals, and 16 per cent. were non-Israeli nationals, as defined by the applicant's passport.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of entry clearance applications for settlement as a spouse in the UK submitted to the British consulate in Tel Aviv between June 2008 and May 2009 and processed by the British embassy in Istanbul were granted; what proportion of applicants were of  (a) Israeli and  (b) non-Israeli background; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Between June 2008 and May 2009, 103 applications for spouse/civil partner settlement, or leading to settlement visas, were submitted to the British consulate in Tel Aviv and processed by the British embassy in Istanbul, with an issue rate of 94 per cent.
	91 per cent. of the applicants were Israeli nationals, and 9 per cent. were non-Israeli nationals, as defined by the applicant's passport.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he plans to use to determine whether a Tier 4 visa sponsor is highly trusted; and for what reasons all Tier 4 visa sponsors should not be considered highly trusted.

Phil Woolas: The criteria for Highly Trusted Sponsors will be published on 22 March. The scheme will be implemented on 6 April. The UK Border Agency has consulted with the education sector on the development of the criteria.
	Highly trusted sponsors will be required to meet tough new additional criteria and demonstrate that they have a track record of success in terms of bringing genuine students to the UK. These guidelines are being introduced for sponsors who wish to recruit international students in categories where there is a higher risk of abuse.
	In addition, all sponsors will be required to meet robust new minimum standards regarding the recruitment and retention of students.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department examined visa requirements for students wishing to enter other countries with a substantial English language teaching sector in its recent revision of the Tier 4 points-based system.

Phil Woolas: Yes, as part of the review of Tier 4, the student tier of the points-based system, officials examined the visa requirements in place for students in a number of comparable countries.

Entry Clearances: Palestinians

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the UK Border Agency did not issue a visa in connection with Fairtrade Fortnight to  (a) Lina Mahmoud,  (b) Belal Eid and  (c) Nahed Besharieh; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The applications were refused as the entry clearance officer was not satisfied they met the requirements of the immigration rules. The reasons for refusal were set out in the refusal notices issued to the applicants. In light of further information received, the decision was made to issue visas. However, it has not been possible to contact the applicants to make arrangements.

Greater London

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to each London borough, the effects on each borough of changes to his Department's policies between 2003-04 and 2008-09.

Alan Johnson: The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk./

Identity Cards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he classifies the implementation of biometric passports as part of the identity card scheme.

Alan Johnson: The issues of identity cards as well as the introduction of fingerprint biometric passports are part of the National Identity Service. The provisions of the Identity Cards Act 2006 will be amended by further primary legislation so that everyone aged 16 and over who applies for a British passport will have the choice of being issued with an identity card or a passport (or both documents) and for their identity details, including facial image and fingerprint biometrics, to be recorded on the same National Identity Register.

Illegal Immigrants

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants were detected at each of the main ports of entry to the United Kingdom in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Phil Woolas: It is Government policy to restrict the publication of Border Force management information to a regional level, as port-specific information could provide value to those seeking to circumvent our controls. The table therefore provides details of the number of illegal entrants detected by UK Border Force officers at UK ports, in 2008 and 2009, on a regional basis. The information used to answer this question has been taken from a live database and is suitable for management information purposes. It has not been subject to the detailed checks required to qualify as National Statistics.
	In addition, the UK Border Agency, working together with its partners at the Juxtaposed Controls, prevented more than 28,000 individual attempts to cross the Channel illegally in 2008, and 29,000 in 2009.
	
		
			   2009  2008 
			 South Region 303 455 
			 North Region 23 45 
			 Total 326 500

Immigrants: Detainees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children detained at  (a) Dungavel and  (b) Yarl's Wood have been transferred to other immigration detention centres in each of the last six months.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 12 March 2010
	Families with children can be detained at Dungavel House, Tinsley House and Yarl's Wood. Tinsley House currently accommodates family groups for 24 hours and Dungavel House for approximately 72 hours. Where detention is likely to extend beyond this timeframe, families are transferred to Yarl's Wood, which has the facilities to support longer periods of detention.
	It is not possible to provide the information requested without examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	National Statistics on children detained solely under Immigration Act powers on a snapshot basis are published quarterly. The information is published in Tables 9-14 of the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom bulletins which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Immigrants: Detainees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) children and  (b) families detained at immigration detention centres spent the entire period of their detention at a single location in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 12 March 2010
	For the period October 2009 to December 2009, 330 children left immigration removal centres. From our records, 230 had spent the entire period of their detention at a single location. These figures are based on management information. They have not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, are rounded to the nearest 5, subject to change and should be treated as provisional.
	Of the balance, some will have spent the entire period of detention at a single location but will have moved with their families for reasons such as medical appointments outside the centre, or a failed removal. We could only establish the number by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	The number of families held in immigration removal centres that spent the entire period of their detention at a single location can be determined only by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Immigrants: Detainees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the health and emotional well-being of children of transfers between immigration removal centres.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 12 March 2010
	The UK Border Agency takes health and emotional well-being of those in its care very seriously; this is particularly true of children who are regrettably detained-with their parents-pending their removal after they refuse to leave the UK voluntarily. We introduced a new duty in November 2009 contained in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, which requires the Agency to protect and promote the welfare of children. The Office of the Children's Champion, which includes professional advisers, is responsible for challenging the Agency to ensure it meets its obligations, and they provide constant advice and support to those responsible for detention and escorting matters.
	Prior to detention, the Agency conducts a formal assessment of each child to identify any particular medical, safeguarding or welfare needs in order to make the necessary arrangements to support them while in detention.
	Children can only be held in three immigration removal centres. Tinsley House currently holds families for 24 hours and Dungavel House for up to three days. Those families who will be held for longer periods are taken to Yarl's Wood, as are those families in Scotland whose flights are departing from London. We do not normally move families between centres for any other reason.
	Prior to the transfer to Yarl's Wood, a number of assessments are made to take specific account of the safeguarding and welfare of the children making the journey. These include:
	The size of vehicle required to accommodate the whole family together;
	The length of the journey to ensure adequate comfort breaks, suitable child activity packs, dietary requirements and refreshments;
	Appropriate clothing for the weather;
	Feeding and changing facilities for babies and any requirement for child safety chairs and booster seats.
	The discharging centre provides Yarl's Wood with all health records, welfare assessments and care plans, documenting any special needs or support in place for the family to ensure continuity of care.
	On arrival at the receiving centre the family and children are individually re-assessed by a nurse within two hours and an appointment made for them to see a GP the following day. In line with the centre's safeguarding arrangements, the children continue to have their welfare monitored and assessed on a regular basis by the multi-disciplinary team of healthcare, educational, operational and other staff, together with the resident senior social worker.

Immigrants: Detainees

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether members of any families being detained at immigration removal centres have been detained at different locations in each of the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 15 March 2010
	Local management information indicates that, at 11 March 2010, 18 family members (from six families) presently detained at an immigration removal centre had been detained under Immigration Act powers at a different location within the past 12 months.
	The figures provided do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on management information. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional.
	National Statistics on children detained solely under Immigration Act powers on a snapshot basis are published quarterly. The information is published in the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom bulletins which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Immigrants: Detainees

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the maximum number of children is which may be detained at each immigration removal centre; and how many children were detained at each centre in the last six months.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 15 March 2010
	There are 66 rooms providing a total of 152 beds where families with children may be accommodated in the immigration detention estate. They are not all occupied at any one time since their use is dependent on the make-up and size of the family.
	Children may be detained as part of a family group in three immigration removal centres. Tinsley House has four family rooms of six and seven beds. Dungavel House has two three-bedded family rooms and Yarl's Wood has 60 two-bedded family rooms. The rooms are inter-linked to allow larger family groups to be accommodated together.
	The number of children who entered detention solely under Immigration Act powers for the last six months of 2009 is published in table 9 of the Control of Immigration Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom Third Quarter and Table 9.1 of the Control of Immigration Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom Fourth Quarter which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Immigration

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department takes to monitor the destination of those refused leave to remain in the UK who have not yet been removed from the UK.

Phil Woolas: The introduction of better contact management through the use of physical reporting at reporting centres and police stations together with the use of electronic monitoring (tagging and voice recognition) has allowed the UK Border Agency to maintain contact with asylum applicants at all stages of the process and with those who have breached immigration law.
	The UK Border Agency's Country of Origin Information Service continually monitors the situation in the countries of origin of those who seek international protection in the UK, taking into account information from a wide range of recognised and respected sources. We enforce the return of an individual only where we and the courts are satisfied that the person concerned will not be at risk.

Immigration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on payments made in relation to immigration casework consequent on complaints to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency does not break down data on compensation payments into specific business areas. As a result of this, the information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Immigration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department paid in compensation in respect of immigration casework in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office prepares its accounts in accordance with UK GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) adapted for the public sector in accordance with guidance issued by HM Treasury.
	The information is not collated in the way requested but compensation payments/special payments are monitored routinely as part of the broader financial management arrangements in place within the UK Border Agency.
	The Agency is exploring arrangements to collate this type of information in future years.

Immigration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) mean and  (b) median time taken to process an application for further leave to remain was in December 2009.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 15 March 2010
	It is not possible for the UK Border Agency to differentiate between applications for leave to remain and applications for further leave to remain. I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 March 2010,  Official Report, column 222W.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of complaints received by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigated by the IPCC.

David Hanson: The IPCC is an independent body responsible for ensuring that the police complaints system in England and Wales works effectively and fairly. The IPCC is directly involved in investigating the most serious cases, which make up a small proportion of cases overall. The remainder of cases are subject to investigation by the local police force involved or to an informal procedure called local resolution carried out by the police.
	However, in order to ensure that independent oversight extends to all parts of the police complaints system, complainants whose cases are dealt with by the police have a right of appeal to the IPCC.
	The IPCC also has a statutory responsible for the guardianship of the police complaints system. As part of that guardianship role, the IPCC analyses and publishes complaints statistics detailing the number and type of complaints made by members of the public and their outcomes. These reports are published on the IPCC's website.

Lockerbie: Bombings

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether  (a) he and  (b) other Ministers in his Department were consulted on the departure of Abdelbasset Al-Megrahi from the UK;
	(2)  whether the UK Border Agency had the power to prevent Mr. Abdelbasset Al-Megrahi from leaving the UK following his release from custody by the Scottish Executive;
	(3)  whether, following his release from custody by the Scottish Executive, the UK Border Agency was required to give its consent to the departure from the UK of Mr. Abdelbasset Al-Megrahi.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary was kept fully informed by officials of the possible outcomes in the event that Mr. Al-Megrahi were to be released. However, the UK Border Agency is not required to give its consent to the departure of a foreign national. A foreign national can leave the UK at any time provided there are no outstanding criminal proceedings against them. We would inform the police or other agencies to determine an appropriate operational response should we become aware that an individual of interest is seeking to depart from the UK.
	In the case of Mr. Al-Megrahi he was released from prison and expressed his wish to return to Libya. The UK Border Agency was aware of this but was not required to give its consent to this action.

Members: Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood dated 9 November and 15 December 2009 regarding Melicia Ann Brown (Home Office reference: B1080260).

Phil Woolas: Reply was sent to the right hon. Member's office on 11 January 2010. A copy of the response has been sent by e-mail to the right hon. Member's office on 24 February 2010. The letter confirms that the correspondence has been passed to a caseworking unit for further consideration as the MP provided representations which required further attention.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter of 14 January 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton regarding Mr. I. Khan.

Alan Johnson: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 4 February 2010.
	A copy of the letter will be forwarded to the right hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter of 21 January 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton regarding Mrs. H. Mohsin.

Alan Johnson: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 17 March 2010.

Police

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between the number of police officers in police forces and their effectiveness in carrying out frontline policing.

David Hanson: This Government's investment in the police is at record levels. There are nearly 17,000 more police officers than in 1997, and more than 16,000 PCSOs on the streets. Crime is down by 36 per cent. In every area, crime is falling and confidence is increasing. 50 per cent. of the public now agree that the antisocial behaviour and crime issues that matter to them are being dealt with.

Police: Bureaucracy

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to reduce the amount of time spent by police officers on administrative tasks since 1997; what steps he plans to take in the next six months; what estimate he has made of the average amount of time spent by police officers on administration per (i) day, (ii) week and (iii) month; what recent representations he has received on police morale; what reply he gave; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Government are committed to reducing bureaucracy in policing, including the amount of time spent by police officers on unnecessary administrative tasks.
	This is why we have taken the following steps:
	Reducing by up to 50 per cent. the amount of data that we routinely collect from police forces;
	Piloting a more proportionate approach to the recording of crime and incidents;
	Scrapping the requirement for police officers to complete time sheets for the purposes of activity-based costing;
	Removing the requirement for police officers to complete a form when carrying out a stop and account encounter;
	Investing £80 million in the rollout of mobile technology, saving officers up to 30 minutes per shift as they are able to send and receive information while on the beat;
	Publishing a Policing White Paper which includes measures to improve efficiency in policing and also sets out our response to the recommendations made by Jan Berry, the independent Reducing Bureaucracy Advocate.
	Over the next six months we will:
	Ensure that these steps are fully implemented by all police forces;
	Work with the service to formally recognise proportionate crime recording as good practice and promote its adoption by forces;
	Legislate to reduce the reporting requirements for stop and search;
	Support the piloting of an approach to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy involved in the police charging process; and
	Continue to work with Jan Berry and the police service to encourage the adoption of more efficient business processes by police forces.
	Measures of time spent on patrol and administrative tasks have been discontinued as part of the Government's commitment to reduce the burden on police forces imposed by statistical and other data. The scrapping of activity-based costing has been estimated to save up to 260,000 hours per year across the police workforce. This allows officers to concentrate their efforts on fighting crime and being more visible.
	The Home Office has not received any specific representation on the subject of police morale but my ministerial colleagues and I continue to enjoy constructive and regular discussions with police stakeholders, including the police staff associations.

Powers of Entry

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 379W, on powers of entry: public consultation, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish Lord West's report; and when he expects it to be published.

David Hanson: The Home Department has been in consultation with other Government Departments as part of the review on powers of entry.
	Proposals on a future framework approach for powers of entry will be set out in a public consultation document and will be published later this year.

Trade Unions

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of his Department and its agencies are seconded to trade unions; what facilities are made available to them; how many days other staff of his Department and its agencies spent on trade union activity in the latest year for which figures are available; and what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of such activity.

Phil Woolas: One member of staff is currently seconded to PCS for a period of six months under normal secondment arrangements. The Home Office is not responsible for salary payment, or provision of facilities, during the period of secondment.
	The Home Office and its agencies, UKBA, IPS and CRB, employ approximately 28,000 staff in total. There are four recognised unions with 13 members of Home Office staff working as full-time union representatives under the Departmental Facilities Agreement (one FDA, one Prospect, nine PCS and two ISU representatives). In addition to the 13 full-time representatives, we also provide three members of Home Office staff as administrative support for the union representatives.
	A further 79 members of our staff (three ISU and 76 PCS representatives) undertake trade union duties on an "as required" basis. The Home Office Departmental Facilities Agreements formalise the arrangements under which our staff can claim facility time but we do not keep a central record of how much time is used.
	It is not possible to calculate the exact amount of facility time agreed for union activity and for this reason, it is also not possible to provide a realistic estimate of the total cost.
	As part of our Departmental Facilities Agreement full-time representatives have access to dedicated office space with associated business equipment, e.g. computers, photocopying and telephony and may also utilise departmental mail, email, internet and video conferencing facilities. Union representatives provided with "as required" facility time are given access to the same or similar facilities.

UK Border Agency

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response his Department has made to the parliamentary ombudsman's recent report on the UK Border Agency.

Phil Woolas: At the time the parliamentary ombudsman released her special report on the UK Border Agency, Lin Homer, the chief executive of the agency, made a statement saying:
	"We take the Ombudsman's recommendations seriously and welcome the assessment that our complaints systems are improving.
	The UK Border Agency is continuing to make progress in dealing with the legacy backlog of older asylum cases and has already concluded more than 220,000 cases. I am confident we are on course to conclude these cases by the summer of 2011."

UK Border Agency: Telephone Services

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many calls were made to the UK Border Agency MPs' hotline in each of the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: The information is in the following table
	
		
			   Number 
			  2009  
			 February 2,082 
			 March 2,468 
			 April 2,267 
			 May 2,344 
			 June 2,950 
			 July 2,586 
			 August 2,028 
			 September 2,311 
			 October 2,237 
			 November 2,177 
			 December 1,641 
			   
			  2010  
			 January 2,444 
			 February 2,097 
			 Total 29,632

UK Border Agency: Telephone Services

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of providing all hon. Members with a pass code for the UK Border Agency MPs' hotline.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 15 March 2010
	The work of providing all hon. Members with a pass code for the UK Border Agency MPs' enquiry line was done as part of the day to day business of the MPs' enquiry line at minimal cost.

UK Border Agency: Telephone Services

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time members of staff work on the UK Border Agency  (a) MPs' hotline and  (b) public enquiry line.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 15 March 2010
	 The information is in the following table:
	
		
			   Full-time equivalent 
			  (a) MPs' inquiry line 13.6 
			  (b) Public inquiry lines 175.9

TREASURY

Business: Government Assistance

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effects on small businesses of the recent downturn in the economy; what assistance he plans to give during the next six months to small businesses; what representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department  (a) has taken since June 2007 and  (b) plans to take in the next 12 months to improve the flow of credit from financial institutions to (i) small and (ii) medium-sized businesses; what recent discussions (A) he, (B) other Ministers in his Department and (C) officials in his Department have had with the Confederation of British Industry on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government recognise the importance of small businesses to the UK economy. The lending commitments agreed with RBS and Lloyds over the 12 months from March 2009 have made significant amounts of lending available to creditworthy businesses. To help provide continued confidence to the business sector, these commitments will remain in place until March 2011.
	The Government are also exploring the development of non-bank lending channels, as outlined in their 2009 discussion paper. Officials have engaged with key stakeholders on this topic, including the CBI which supports the idea of non-bank lending for diversifying sources of business finance. As indicated at pre-Budget report, the Government will provide an update on non-bank lending in the upcoming Budget.
	More generally, the UK's small businesses proved resilient during the downturn: company liquidations were lower than in the 1990s recession and there were on average a total of 47,366 new start-ups each month in 2009-higher than both 2007 and 2008.
	Ministers and Government officials have continued to engage with trade bodies and the major banks throughout the crisis and will continue to do so in order to monitor the flow of credit to businesses. Ongoing work with banks and business groups through the Small Business Finance Forum aims to improve the transparency of banks' lending practices and help to restore confidence to the business sector.
	Government have also put in place a range of wider support for small businesses. This has included:
	targeted, temporary access to finance support through the 'Real Help' for business package, which included the Working Capital Scheme, Capital for Enterprise Fund and Enterprise Finance Guarantee (now extended to April 2011);
	a mix of permanent and targeted, temporary tax support to ease cash flow difficulties through Time to Pay (which will extend payment times for business tax on a permanent basis), extended loss carry-back arrangements (until November 2010) and a deferral in the planned increase of the small companies taxation rate (with the rate remaining at 21 per cent. during 2010-11);
	further progress in cutting the costs of regulation through a planned reduction of 25 per cent. in administrative burdens of regulation by May 2010; and
	increased funding for SME employers to invest in the training of their staff through Train to Gain.

Child Trust Fund: Children in Care

Ruth Kelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the performance of stakeholder Child Trust Funds managed by the Official Solicitor or Accountant of Court on behalf of looked-after children.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 17 March 2010
	 The Child Trust Fund legislation provides that the Official Solicitor for England and Wales and the Official Solicitor for Northern Ireland manage the Child Trust Fund accounts of looked-after children where there is no one with parental responsibility. It is part of their duties to review the Child Trust Fund accounts under their control to ensure they continue to meet the best interests of the child.
	The Child Trust Fund legislation also provides that in Scotland the Accountant of Court manage these accounts. She is responsible to Scottish Ministers.

Departmental Air Travel

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many domestic flights in Great Britain officials of his Department took in an official capacity in 2008-09; and at what cost to the public purse such flights were taken.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Tickets for domestic flights are purchased through HM Treasury's travel management company for both officials and Ministers. Separate details of travel by officials and additional information relating to tickets purchased directly by the traveller are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely change to revenue to the Exchequer arising from the first year rate tax on new motor vehicles in each of the next three financial years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 16 March 2010
	 Differential first-year rates of vehicle excise duty (VED) will encourage the purchase of more fuel-efficient cars, by providing a strong signal to the consumer at the point of purchase.
	There are 13 different standard rates of VED. From April 2010, under differential first-year rates:
	cars in bands A to D-emitting up to 130 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g/km)-will pay no VED in the first year;
	cars in bands E to G-emitting between 130 g/km and 165 g/km-will pay the same as under the standard rate; and
	cars in bands H to M-emitting over 165 g/km-will pay a rate higher than the standard rate. Only around a quarter of new cars are forecast to fall into this category and only 2 per cent. of new cars are forecast, to fall into band M and face the top rate of £950.
	From 2010 onwards, the Exchequer will therefore see reduced revenue from new cars in bands A to D, but increased revenue in bands H to M. The net impact of both of these changes, against a standard rate baseline, is:
	
		
			   Additional revenue (£ million) 
			 2010-11 60 
			 2011-12 45 
			 2012-13 15 
		
	
	This will contribute to cutting carbon dioxide from motoring.
	Full details of VED rates for 2010 are available at:
	http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_172916

Government Departments: Bank Cards

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance given to civil servants on spending money via Government procurement cards.

Ian Pearson: General Government Procurement Card (GPC) guidance is provided by Buying Solutions to Departments in the form of an electronic toolkit which is available in both CD ROM format or as a download from the OGC website at
	www.ogc.gov.uk/procurement_documents_eprocurement.asp

Government Departments: Reviews

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which organisations are accredited gateway reviewers.

Ian Pearson: Organisations currently authorised to arrange and manage OGC Gateway reviews are:
	OGC (on behalf of central Government)
	Ministry of Defence
	Department of Health/NHS
	Local Partnerships (on behalf of local government)
	Scottish Executive
	Northern Ireland Civil Service
	Dutch Government
	State of Victoria (Australia)
	Organisations currently piloting the Gateway review process with the objective of becoming authorised are:
	Welsh Assembly Government
	Police service of England and Wales (NPIA)
	Government of New Zealand
	Federal Government of Australia
	Brisbane City Council
	Australian State of Queensland
	Australian State of New South Wales
	Australian State of Tasmania
	Australian State of South Australia
	Australian State of Western Australia

Housing: Leaseback Arrangements

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of each substantive response to his Department's consultation on Regulating the sale and rent-back market.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In February 2009, HM Treasury published a consultation on regulating the sale and rent back market. A summary of the 35 responses to the consultation was published in June 2009. This document is available on the Treasury website at
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/consultsalerent_response 020609.pdf
	A copy of has been placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: Valuation

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 237W, on valuation, what proportion of the £14 million of expenditure on the Automated Valuation Model has been incurred since October 2005.

Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model technology is used to support of a range of activities associated with domestic property valuation. Some 50 per cent. of expenditure has been incurred since 1 October 2005.

National Insurance Contributions

Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the level of employment of a one percentage point increase in national insurance contributions.

Stephen Timms: For both small and large companies, the increase in national insurance contributions in 2011 represents only a very small proportion of their total costs. Therefore, in the climate of stronger economic growth forecast by the Treasury and independent commentators in 2011 and beyond, the Government expect the rise in national insurance contributions to be affordable, and any impact on employment to be limited. Past experience has shown such increases can be made without employment falling. The increase in 2011 is accompanied by an increase in the primary threshold to protect lower earners.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will initiate an independent review of the Valuation Office Agency's handling of the new retrospective business rates regime on firms in ports.

Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency has been subject to a Framework Review conducted by an HMRC Director reporting to the Minister then responsible for the Agency, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. The Framework Review is available at:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/publications/framework_doc/voa-review-09.pdf

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) new assessments and  (b) reassessments have been undertaken by the Valuation Office Agency in each year since 1999; and how many businesses were listed at each port in each of those years.

Ian Pearson: The information requested in respect of  (a) and  (b) cover the following three Rating Lists:
	1995 Rating Lists-1 April 1995 to 31 March 2000
	2000 Rating Lists-1 April 2000 to 31 March 2005
	2005 Rating Lists-1 April 2005 to 31 March 2010
	Total number of  (a) 'new' assessments and  (b) 'Reassessments' (other) for all classes of property undertaken by the VOA since 1 April 1999 is included in the following table.
	
		
			  April  to March each year  Type  England  Wales  England and Wales 
			 1999-2000 New 37,680 2,220 39,900 
			  Other 220,460 11,370 231,830 
			  
			 2000-01 New 71,660 3,170 74,830 
			  Other 382,700 20,500 403,200 
			  
			 2001-02 New 34,560 1,760 36,320 
			  Other 213,550 12,310 225,860 
			  
			 2002-03 New 33,270 1,830 35,100 
			  Other 220,480 12,570 233,050 
			  
			 2003-04 New 33,040 1,890 34,930 
			  Other 211,520 12,560 224,090 
			 2004-05 New 33,590 2,320 35,920 
			  Other 225,370 12,060 237,430 
			  
			 2005-06 New 40,580 2,630 43,210 
			  Other 309,570 14,680 324,250 
			  
			 2006-07 New 42,110 2,880 44,980 
			  Other 264,110 13,270 277,370 
			  
			 2007-08 New 38,690 2,910 41,600 
			  Other 247,030 14,950 261,980 
			  
			 2008-09 New 41,360 2,840 44,200 
			  Other 244,240 15,730 259,980 
			  
			 2009-10 New 32,340 2,050 34,400 
			  Other 226,230 13,760 239,990 
			  Note: All figures rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	The above information has been extracted from the Valuation Office Agency's operational database.
	In response to how many businesses were listed at each port in each of those years I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1335W.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people whose personal data was put at risk by HM Revenue and Customs data security incidents in 2008-09;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people whose personal data was inappropriately disclosed by HM Revenue and Customs in 2008-09;
	(3)  what progress HM Revenue and Customs has made towards meeting its target on the timeliness of reporting of data security incidents;
	(4)  what progress HM Revenue and Customs has made towards meeting its target on the reduction of data security incidents;
	(5)  what definition of a data security incident HM Revenue and Customs uses in relation to its departmental objective to reduce the number of such incidents by 2012;

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is committed to protecting the sensitive information it has access to. To drive performance in this area, HMRC has targets:
	to drive towards zero the number of data security incidents reportable to the Information Commissioner,
	reduce the volume of customer data lost, and
	for staff to report incidents promptly.
	HMRC defines a data security incident as:
	loss or theft of paper, letters and files containing 'personal data';
	loss, theft or insecure disposal of portable equipment and media that carries 'personal data'; and
	unauthorised disclosure of customer information.
	The Department's planned actions to achieve these targets are set out in its annual business plan. The Department's performance against these objectives is set out in its annual reports and resource accounts. These are available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm
	It is not possible to provide accurate data regarding the total number of people whose personal data was put at risk or inappropriately disclosed during 2008-09.

Taxation

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the Treasury Minute outlining the Government's response to the Second Report from the Committee of Public Accounts' HM Revenue and Customs: Improving the processing and collection of tax HC97.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government's Treasury Minute response to the Committee of Public Accounts Report-HM Revenue and Customs: improving the processing and collection of tax was published as Cm 7818 on 11 March 2010.

Taxation: Business

Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration his Department has given to means of simplifying the tax system in respect of small businesses.

Stephen Timms: The Government are committed to simplifying the tax system where it can and has included simplicity as one of the six principles of the "Tax Framework for Business", on which it is currently consulting. Further information is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/tax_governmenttaxforum_ index.htm
	Since 2006 the Government have brought forward measures that reduce administrative burdens imposed by the tax system on business by around £540 million per annum. More details on the steps being taken to reduce burdens on small businesses are set out in the series of HM Revenue and Customs reports on "Delivering a new relationship with business", available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/better-regulation/related-links.htm

Valuation Office Agency: Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2010,  Official Report, column 806W, on the Valuation Office: local government, if he will place in the Library a copy of the request for a legislative gateway submitted by the Valuation Office Agency.

Ian Pearson: HM Revenue and Customs consider this an internal policy document relating to the formulation of tax policy and should not be published.

Valuation Office Agency: Local Government

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuebill XML schema has the capacity to transfer building control notice data.

Ian Pearson: No.

Valuation Office Agency: Manpower

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) assessment officers,  (b) staff working in the former statutory ports and  (c) staff of the Valuation Office Agency there were in each year since 1999.

Ian Pearson: In answer to  (a) and  (b), I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 2 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1021W.
	The average number of full-time equivalent staff employed at the Valuation Office Agency from 1999-2000 to 2008-09 was:
	
		
			   Average number of staff  employed during the year (full- time equivalents) 
			 1999-2000 4,016 
			 2000-01 3,948 
			 2001-02 3,814 
			 2002-03 3,843 
			 2003-04 4,436 
			 2004-05 4,955 
			 2005-06 5,084 
			 2006-07 4,428 
			 2007-08 4,096 
			 2008-09 3,843

TRANSPORT

Aerials: Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department has issued to Network Rail on the requirement for environmental impact assessments to be undertaken in respect of its telecommunications masts under the terms of the EU Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment, 2001/42/EC.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has given no explicit advice to Network Rail on the requirement to undertake environmental impact assessments under the terms of EU Directive 2001/42/EC.

Aviation: Accidents

Graham Stringer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many incidents were recorded of objects falling from commercial aeroplanes over the UK in each of the last five years; and how many such objects have caused  (a) personal injury and  (b) damage to buildings.

Paul Clark: The statistics requested are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Reports  Damage  Injury 
			  Aircraft components (commercial aircraft)
			 2010 (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			 2009 4 0 0 
			 2008 5 0 0 
			 2007 3 0 0 
			 2006 1 0 0 
			 2005 4 1 0 
			 
			  Ice (all aircraft)
			 2010 2 2 0 
			 2009 22 13 1 
			 2008 19 11 0 
			 2007 25 17 0 
			 2006 27 17 1 
			 2005 27 18 0 
			 (1) No reports so far

BAM Nuttall

James Paice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many infrastructure projects funded in part or in whole by his Department are under construction by BAM Nuttall; how many of those projects are  (a) design and build projects,  (b) being financed under the pain/gain mechanism and  (c) past their target completion date.

Chris Mole: The Highways Agency currently has three maintenance projects under construction by BAM Nuttall. The details are as follows:
	
		
			  Project Title  (a and b) Type  (c) Target Completion Date 
			 A5 Beech Road-M1 Junction 9 Lighting Renewal Pain and Gain Mechanism 31 March 2010 
			 M3 Hard Shoulder Strengthening Phase 1 Pain and Gain Mechanism 30 April 2010 
			 M3 Hard Shoulder Strengthening Phase 2 Pain and Gain Mechanism 30 April 2010 
		
	
	For local major schemes it is the responsibility of the promoting authority to decide on the most suitable procurement route. From the local major schemes currently under construction in which the Department for Transport has agreed to contribute funding, the following table provides information on those being constructed by BAM Nuttall.
	
		
			  Project Name  (a and b) Type of Contract  (c) Completion Target Date 
			 Cambridgeshire Guided Busway Design and Build including a Pain and Gain Mechanism. February 2009 
			 Connecting Derby Phase 2 and 3 Pain and Gain Mechanism December 2010 
		
	
	The Department is also providing funding to a number of Community Infrastructure Fund schemes. One of which is the South East Hampshire Rapid Transit Phase 1 scheme between Fareham and Gosport. BAM Nuttall was appointed by Hampshire county council to deliver the main construction aspects of the scheme. This contract is a standard construction contract using a priced bill of quantities. A target completion date as such is not applicable as community infrastructure funding is made available up until 31 March 2011.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what property has been recorded as  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport includes seven agencies, a shared service centre and the central Department, with a total staff of over 19,000. The figures provided here for lost and stolen property are for the entire Department including its agencies and shared service centre. The figures provided do not include losses or thefts where records are not available, where equipment has not been procured centrally, or where such losses or thefts were not reported.
	The number of items of lost and stolen property from the Department in the last 12 months and their total estimated replacement cost are as follows.
	
		
			  Item  Lost  Stolen  Estimated cost (£) 
			 Laptop computers 2 18 7,972.00 
			 PC - 1 500.00 
			 Laptop encryption dongles 9 1 250.00 
			 Blackberry 15 4 5,130.00 
			 Blackberry charger 3 - 24.34 
			 Iron Key memory stick - 2 55.87 
			 Mobile phone 22 4 806.00 
			 USB broadband modem - 1 50.00 
			 Satellite navigation 1 - 79.99 
			 PC mouse 4 - 40.00 
			 PC keyboard 1 - 10.00 
			 Radios 1 1 400.00 
			 Cash 3 - 15.00 
			 Watch 3 - (1)- 
			 Pair of cufflinks 1 - (1)- 
			 Silver coloured metal three flowers/butterflies stones 1 - (1)- 
			 Keys 1 - (1)- 
			 Wallet 3 - (1)- 
			 Phillips shaver white blue 1 - (1)- 
			 Black strap watch gents 1 - (1)- 
			 Leather money holder with £5.55 inside 1 - (1)- 
			 Ladies purse 1 - (1)- 
			 Metal framed glasses 1 1 (1)- 
			 Gold bracelet 1 - (1)- 
			 Black hat 1 - (1)- 
			 USB con 1 - (1)- 
			 Photograph 1 - (1)- 
			 Bag 1 - (1)- 
			 Encryption fob 1 - (1)- 
			 Brown bag 1 - (1)- 
			 Pair of cufflinks 1 - (1)- 
			 Black umbrella 1 - (1)- 
			 Travel dress and money 1 - (1)- 
			 Bracelet 1 - (1)- 
			 Whole metal propel pencil 1 - (1)- 
			 Radio terminal 2 - (1)- 
			 Shirts 1 - (1)- 
			 Wash bag 1 1 (1)- 
			 Diamond solitaire ring 1 - (1)- 
			 Grit from grit bin - 1 (1)- 
			 Bikes - 2 (1)-

East Coast Railway Line

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of the operation of the East Coast Main Line route; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: There have been no significant representations received by the Department for Transport relating to the effectiveness of the East Coast route.

Exhaust Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the total carbon dioxide emissions from buses in the last 10 years; and what projection he has made of such emissions from buses in the next  (a) 10,  (b) 20 and  (c) 50 years.

Sadiq Khan: Bus carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the last 10 years can be found in Table 3.7 of Transport Statistics Great Britain (TSGB) at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/energyenvironment/tsgbchapter3energyenvi2009.xls
	The Department for Transport's most recent forecasts of total road transport carbon dioxide emissions for England were produced as part of the road transport forecasts for 2010, 2015, and 2025. These are available in 'Road Traffic Forecasts 2008: Results from the Department for Transport's National Transport Model', which is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/economics/ntm/roadtransport forcasts08/rtf08.pdf
	The total forecast changes in carbon dioxide emissions for Public Service Vehicles (PSVs), which includes buses and coaches, forecast percentage changes in PSV carbon dioxide emissions in England compared with 2003 for 2010, 2015 and 2025 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Carbon dioxide emissions percentage change compared with 2003, England 
			   Percentage 
			 2010 -3 
			 2015 -2 
			 2025 -0.4 
		
	
	These figures include an assumption for rising congestion levels, causing slowing vehicle speeds and increasing CO2 emissions as a result.
	No such forecasts are available for 2020, 2030, and 2060.

Heathrow Airport: High Speed Two

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate has been made of the effect on the number of flights to and from Heathrow Airport of High Speed Two coming into operation.

Chris Mole: No specific estimate has been made of the effect on the number of flights to and from Heathrow. Modelling carried out by HS2 Ltd estimates that a high speed rail line from London to the West Midlands reduces the number of daily air passengers between all UK airports by 11,000. A wider network would present greater potential for modal shift from aviation.

Midland Metro

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he plans to release funding for the Midland Metro extension.

Sadiq Khan: On 18 March 2010, the Department for Transport announced initial funding approval for the Midland Metro Line One extension scheme promoted by Centra, West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive.
	In providing initial approval, the Department has indicated that it is willing to provide up to £81 million towards the scheme costs subject to some additional development work being undertaken by the promoter. This is a significant first step. No funding will be released until the promoter has met all of our conditions and remaining approval processes.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Anne Milton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2010,  Official Report, column 845W, on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and with reference to the draft Better Regulation Executive report, whether the DVLA's draft enforcement strategy is the same as the enforcement policy currently being drafted.

Paul Clark: The two things are not the same.
	The enforcement strategy deals with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's responsibility with respect to Vehicle Excise Duty enforcement.
	The recent Better Regulation Executive report focused on the regulation of business. Their reference to the enforcement policy relates to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's operation of the Registration of Number Plate Suppliers scheme.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost to the public purse of administering the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's free prize draw promotion for motorists renewing their vehicle tax online or by telephone has been to date.

Paul Clark: The cost to the public purse of administering the free prize draw for motorists renewing their vehicle tax online or by telephone is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 June 2008-March 2009 13,697.69 
			 April 2009-March 2010 11,332 
		
	
	The cars offered as prizes were donated free of charge by the manufacturer.

Network Rail:

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what costs Network Rail incurred on air journeys within Great Britain since its inception;
	(2)  how much Network Rail spent on  (a) drivers and  (b) taxis for use by executive staff in each year since its inception;
	(3)  what  (a) salaries,  (b) bonuses,  (c) emoluments,  (d) pension contributions and  (e) expenses were paid to executive staff employed by Network Rail in each year since its inception;
	(4)  what costs Network Rail incurred on  (a) legal advice,  (b) marketing agencies and public relations,  (c) public affairs,  (d) agency staff,  (e) redundancy payments and  (f) other severance payments in each year since its inception.

Chris Mole: Network Rail is a private sector not-for-dividend company limited by guarantee. The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested.
	This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his questions:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London, N1 9AG.

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what research has been done on the business case on the proposed route of a high-speed rail link  (a) including starting with a link between London and Birmingham and  (b) directly from London on to the north of England and Scotland.

Chris Mole: The report published by HS2 Ltd estimates the benefit:cost ratio of their proposed line from London to the West Midlands to be 2.4:1, rising to 2.7:1 with the inclusion of wider economic benefits such as agglomeration.
	The report also made a strategic assessment of the business case for a range of options for a network linking London to Scotland, and concluded that the 'Inverse A' network, with branches either side of the Pennines, was most promising with an indicative benefit:cost ratio of 2.3:1.

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which organisations have informed his Department of their support for a shorter journey time by rail between London and Birmingham.

Chris Mole: The Department receives regular correspondence and other representations from a range of organisations on a range of issues, including high speed rail.
	"High Speed Rail", the Command Paper published on 11 March 2010, sets out the Government's intention to consult by the autumn on the proposals it contains. It is at this stage that all interested parties will have opportunity to comment on the proposed high speed rail network, including any journey time savings it could deliver.
	A summary list and the full text of detailed submissions that stakeholders submitted during the engagement process undertaken by HS2 Ltd was published alongside "High Speed Rail".

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment has been made of the economic effects of a reduction in rail journey times of 20 minutes between London and Birmingham; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: HS2 Ltd assessed the comparative business cases of new high speed and conventional lines between London and the West Midlands, which would deliver a 35 minute and 20 minute reduction in journey times respectively (assuming the conventional line, like the high speed proposal, included no intermediate stations between the two conurbations).
	Its conclusion was that the slower journey times offered by a conventional speed line would reduce the number of people travelling on the line in comparison to the high speed alternative by 20 per cent. This would cause overall benefits to fall by 23 per cent. or £6.7 billion, in contrast to a net cost saving to Government of around £1 billion.

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment has been made of the effects of tunnelling activities associated with the high-speed rail route proposed in Chesham and Amersham constituency on chalk aquifers in the area.

Chris Mole: The potential for the construction of HS2 to affect surface drainage and ground water would be fully assessed during the detailed design stage of the project, which itself would commence following consultation should the Government choose to proceed.
	HS2 Ltd would draw from the experience gained by others in the construction of tunnels through similar geology. Appropriate mitigation of such effects would be undertaken during construction, if necessary.

Railways: Birmingham

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the statement of 11 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 446-50, on high speed rail, when work will commence on the section of the route between the Birmingham spur and where the line joins the existing West Coast Mainline north of Lichfield; how many tracks there will be on this section; and whether any additional tracks will run adjacent to the existing West Coast Mainline.

Chris Mole: 'High Speed Rail' states that subject to public consultation and parliamentary approval, work on this section of the line could commence after the opening of Crossrail from 2017. The preferred route option as outlined in 'High Speed Rail' indicates that the line would have two tracks. The new line would not run adjacent to the West Coast Main Line other than within the immediate vicinity of the junction between the two, which would be located to the north-east of Lichfield. Maps setting out this information are available on the Department for Transport's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/highspeedrail

Railways: Chesham

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which roads in Chesham and Amersham constituency have been identified for the routing of traffic in connection with the construction of the High Speed Two route; and what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the volume of traffic on such roads of the construction of High Speed Two.

Chris Mole: holding answer 16 March 2010
	We would seek to minimise the effects of construction wherever possible. Initial decisions on whether to build a high speed line and what route that line should take will be taken in light of the autumn 2010 consultation. Thereafter the full effects and any associated mitigation measures would be subject to an environmental impact assessment, as part of the Hybrid Bill process, which would itself be subject to further public scrutiny.

Railways: North West

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Statement of 11 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 446-50, on high speed rail, when he expects work to commence north of where the proposed high speed line joins the existing West Coast Mainline north of Lichfield to provide a high speed rail service to Leeds and to Manchester.

Chris Mole: Subject to public consultation and parliamentary approval, the initial London to Birmingham high speed line would join onto the West Coast Main Line near Lichfield. This would allow high speed services to run up the West Coast Main Line to destinations including Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow. Construction of this initial leg would not start until after the opening of the Crossrail line from 2017 at the earliest.
	Following on from this initial leg, High Speed Rail also proposes an initial core high speed network which extends further north, with high speed lines extending beyond the West Midlands to Manchester and Leeds. The initial core high speed network is now subject to detailed planning and technical work and it is not therefore possible at this stage to state when construction of this section of the network might commence.

Railways: Safety

David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions the Secretary of State has had with the Office of Rail Regulation on the number of maintenance staff required to be employed by Network Rail in order to maintain present safety standards; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 28 January 2010,  Official Report, column 999W.
	The independent Office of Rail Regulation has reviewed Network Rail's proposals for the restructuring of its maintenance function so as to be assured that the safety implications of the changes are being well managed. The Office of Rail Regulation announced the outcome of this review on 3 March. Ministers have discussed the proposals in the course of their routine meetings with the independent Office of Rail Regulation.

Railways: Todmorden

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to his contribution of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 547-48, on the Todmorden rail link, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for a fast direct train link from Burnley to Manchester via the Todmorden curve; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has had recent discussions with the scheme promoters, Network Rail and Northern Rail about the provision of a direct service between Burnley and Manchester via a reinstated curve at Todmorden. It has been confirmed that such a scheme is feasible, but it would require capital funding of around £7 million for the reinstatement of the Todmorden Curve and it is most likely that ongoing subsidy would be required at least in the early years.
	The promoters are aware that both capital and initial ongoing subsidy costs of the scheme have to be funded through local and regional funding sources. The Government provide funding to the region through the regional funding allocation so that they can decide what projects should be given priority from the resources available. Once implemented, if the scheme demonstrates its success after three years then the Department for Transport would consider funding the service as part of the national rail network, subject to funds being available in the period 2014-19 (control period 5).

Roads: East Sussex

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make it his policy not to take any definitive decisions pursuant to the public inquiry into the compulsory purchase orders necessary to allow the Bexhill to Hastings link road to proceed before the forthcoming general election.

Sadiq Khan: The inspector's report for the Bexhill to Hastings link road orders was received on 12 March 2010 and is being considered. A decision as to whether or not to confirm the orders will be made in due course.

Roads: East Sussex

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what timetable applies to the submission to the Secretary of State of the report by the Inspector on the public inquiry for the Bexhill to Hastings link road.

Sadiq Khan: The inspector's report for the Bexhill to Hastings link road orders has now been received and is being considered. A decision as to whether or not to confirm the orders will be made in due course.

Roads: East Sussex

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the Inspector's report on the public inquiry for the Bexhill to Hastings link road is required to be considered by any person or authority other than the Secretary of State.

Sadiq Khan: The Inspector's report for the Bexhill to Hastings link road has now been received and is being considered. The Secretary of State for Transport delegates responsibility for confirming Transport Orders following a Public Inquiry to officials.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

John Whittingdale: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much was spent  (a) in total and  (b) per head of population on road improvements in (a) England, (b) the East of England and (c) Essex in each of the last 10 years.

Sadiq Khan: A table containing the information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The table includes estimated expenditure on motorways and trunk roads in the East of England, but expenditure on the strategic road network is not available by local authority boundary. The table also excludes shadow tolls for design, build, finance and operate contracts on the strategic road network.

Rolling Stock: North of England

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps the Government plans to take to provide additional diesel train capacity in the North of England.

Chris Mole: Discussions are taking place with Northern Rail to plan and justify the provision of additional vehicles to meet peak-hour capacity requirements in the northern cities, and the Department for Transport has already agreed some contract changes with Northern Rail, whereby a net 18 additional diesel vehicles will be used to lengthen certain train services. The electrification of the Great Western main line, and routes in the north-west, will release further diesel vehicles for deployment in the north.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies: Sponsorship

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what consultation his Department undertook prior to the clawback of £260,295 funding from The Hereford Academy; if he will review the decision to implement the funding clawback; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: As with maintained schools, funding for academies is primarily based on pupil numbers. The funding agreement for The Hereford Academy provides for a clawback of funding should actual pupil numbers fall short of funded numbers by more than 2.5 per cent.
	Following consultation with The Hereford Academy, it was decided to apply a clawback over an extended period by reducing monthly payments through to August 2011, so as to reduce the impact. The academy has replied seeking a reduction in the amount to be clawed back; this case is currently being considered. In the meantime a clawback has not been put into effect.

Children: Death

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many deaths of children  (a) nationally and  (b) in each local authority area under the age of five were reported in each of the last five years; how many such deaths were attributable to neglect or lack of parental care; and how many such children had been monitored by local authority children's or social services before their death.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 3 February 2010
	Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for each of the last five years from 2004 show that 3,591, 3,561, 3,716, 3,665, and 3,699 deaths of children aged 0 to four were registered each year in England and Wales. The following table gives the number of such deaths by local authority area.
	Over that period only one death of a child aged under five was registered as having an underlying cause of "neglect and abandonment". (This category excludes children aged under 28 days.) It is not possible however to determine the number of cases where neglect was a factor in deaths registered as being due to other underlying causes.
	Data on the number of child deaths where the child was being provided with a service from their local authority's children's social care at the time of the death are not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Counts of deaths in children aged 0 to four years by local authority in England, 2004-08 
			  Deaths (children) 
			  Local authority  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Barking and Dagenham 21 14 21 19 22 
			 Barnet 16 33 15 19 26 
			 Barnsley 20 13 17 13 7 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 10 4 12 10 5 
			 Bedfordshire 23 33 24 19 30 
			 Bexley 18 13 13 13 13 
			 Birmingham 155 137 167 154 157 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 15 23 19 22 17 
			 Blackpool 9 9 19 12 10 
			 Bolton 26 29 34 24 31 
			 Bournemouth 8 13 10 7 7 
			 Bracknell Forest 4 8 8 8 9 
			 Bradford 52 84 71 88 77 
			 Brent 22 24 32 29 38 
			 Brighton and Hove 23 19 21 18 16 
			 Bristol, City of 33 30 28 28 42 
			 Bromley 20 13 15 14 15 
			 Buckinghamshire 25 30 25 35 33 
			 Bury 16 11 13 11 9 
			 Calderdale 19 19 15 18 20 
			 Cambridgeshire 30 29 35 34 40 
			 Camden 21 19 13 13 12 
			 Cheshire 46 39 43 38 43 
			 City of London and Hackney 19 29 24 32 31 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 31 29 26 27 28 
			 Coventry 37 22 22 27 41 
			 Croydon 23 41 36 29 34 
			 Cumbria 25 21 28 24 27 
			 Darlington 7 8 13 10 10 
			 Derby 18 15 12 26 26 
			 Derbyshire 54 33 40 33 44 
			 Devon 41 36 32 38 28 
			 Doncaster 20 29 30 26 27 
			 Dorset 18 22 19 19 15 
			 Dudley 14 28 26 14 28 
			 Durham 27 33 34 28 25 
			 Ealing 21 24 30 20 24 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 22 15 10 11 16 
			 East Sussex 27 19 33 25 35 
			 Enfield 24 32 35 31 28 
			 Essex 70 62 73 85 75 
			 Gateshead 9 14 18 15 16 
			 Gloucestershire 33 32 28 35 28 
			 Greenwich 29 16 29 27 19 
			 Halton 11 11 12 15 9 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 9 14 13 9 11 
			 Hampshire 55 47 59 58 52 
			 Haringey 33 34 30 23 25 
			 Harrow 20 31 15 17 12 
			 Hartlepool 8 3 11 15 3 
			 Havering 11 6 15 10 8 
			 Herefordshire, County of 9 12 8 6 10 
			 Hertfordshire 55 62 50 58 73 
			 Hillingdon 15 15 20 27 16 
			 Hounslow 22 24 12 26 24 
			 Isle of Wight 7 1 6 6 8 
			 Islington 21 17 20 15 15 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4 9 7 9 5 
			 Kent 68 83 78 74 77 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 15 16 29 15 25 
			 Kingston upon Thames 13 9 8 5 3 
			 Kirklees 46 41 46 42 43 
			 Knowsley 13 11 5 10 12 
			 Lambeth 31 31 28 28 29 
			 Lancashire 89 93 88 82 84 
			 Leeds 50 66 61 61 52 
			 Leicester 33 30 37 41 34 
			 Leicestershire 18 44 43 35 34 
			 Lewisham 18 29 23 20 35 
			 Lincolnshire 47 38 40 45 44 
			 Liverpool 33 46 36 33 35 
			 Luton 22 21 28 26 24 
			 Manchester 58 58 41 64 60 
			 Medway 24 14 17 15 13 
			 Merton 18 13 21 11 15 
			 Middlesbrough 11 15 8 10 14 
			 Milton Keynes 20 20 22 16 24 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 21 18 12 11 23 
			 Newham 53 28 45 43 28 
			 Norfolk 41 42 44 47 41 
			 North East Lincolnshire 8 11 13 17 12 
			 North Lincolnshire 12 13 12 6 10 
			 North Somerset 9 6 10 10 10 
			 North Tyneside 10 9 8 9 5 
			 North Yorkshire 28 29 23 27 24 
			 Northamptonshire 56 41 53 50 49 
			 Northumberland 6 10 10 23 11 
			 Nottingham 27 29 37 29 19 
			 Nottinghamshire 44 38 46 49 49 
			 Oldham 26 17 27 22 23 
			 Oxfordshire 39 33 41 31 39 
			 Peterborough 12 23 23 20 17 
			 Plymouth 15 17 13 21 17 
			 Poole 8 6 8 8 10 
			 Portsmouth 13 10 10 11 15 
			 Reading 18 17 14 17 25 
			 Redbridge 26 20 29 28 19 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 16 7 13 6 5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 7 11 6 9 6 
			 Rochdale 14 17 22 21 19 
			 Rotherham 28 20 17 22 26 
			 Rutland 1 3 2 1 4 
			 Salford 17 17 20 21 23 
			 Sandwell 32 37 39 37 47 
			 Sefton 10 25 14 7 12 
			 Sheffield 44 34 45 54 34 
			 Shropshire 14 12 13 16 19 
			 Slough 10 16 16 16 22 
			 Solihull 9 14 15 10 20 
			 Somerset 28 24 23 26 27 
			 South Gloucestershire 16 9 16 7 5 
			 South Tyneside 7 7 12 8 5 
			 Southampton 7 15 14 14 21 
			 Southend-on-Sea 9 9 10 8 6 
			 Southwark 33 23 34 48 36 
			 St. Helens 12 16 21 11 12 
			 Staffordshire 48 55 53 70 50 
			 Stockport 22 18 10 16 18 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 21 8 14 11 15 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 33 34 25 23 21 
			 Suffolk 48 25 28 47 41 
			 Sunderland 26 8 16 19 10 
			 Surrey 40 51 48 55 49 
			 Sutton 10 12 12 9 18 
			 Swindon 17 12 10 14 15 
			 Tameside 11 10 20 12 20 
			 Telford and Wrekin 12 10 17 6 22 
			 Thurrock 8 9 17 16 14 
			 Torbay 6 10 8 6 6 
			 Tower Hamlets 20 20 20 25 15 
			 Trafford 7 9 14 15 12 
			 Wakefield 26 27 22 19 32 
			 Walsall 37 36 28 32 36 
			 Waltham Forest 36 24 31 24 27 
			 Wandsworth 15 29 20 19 23 
			 Warrington 14 14 12 10 14 
			 Warwickshire 39 32 21 29 36 
			 West Berkshire 8 9 13 11 8 
			 West Sussex 38 31 51 41 35 
			 Westminster 17 16 18 12 8 
			 Wigan 14 19 31 23 19 
			 Wiltshire 20 22 24 14 31 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 6 4 10 9 9 
			 Wirral 19 22 16 21 22 
			 Wokingham 3 4 7 11 8 
			 Wolverhampton 27 21 23 17 28 
			 Worcestershire 39 41 31 40 21 
			 York 10 16 11 13 9 
			   
			 England 3,591 3,561 3,716 3,665 3,699 
			  Source: Data extract from the SOPHIE database. Boundaries assigned using the August 2008 National Statistics postcode directory. Contact: Healthgeog@ons.gov.uk

Children: Health

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the relative fitness levels of pupils who walk or cycle to school compared to those who are driven.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have not commissioned any work comparing fitness levels of children who walk or cycle to school, to those who are driven.
	Neither is any assessment currently made of children's fitness levels on a national scale. We do, however, measure children's physical activity levels in line with the chief medical officer's (CMO) recommendations that children aged 5 to 16 need at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every day to be healthy. The Health Survey for England 2008 showed that 32 per cent. of boys and 24 per cent. of girls aged two to 15 were meeting the CMO recommendation.

Children's Centres: Public Relations

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on public relations in respect of Sure Start children's centres in each year since 2004; how much is planned to be spent in 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The amount spent on public relations in respect of Sure Start Children's Centres is set out in the following table. Children's Centres are becoming a universal service for young children and their families-it is important that all families are aware of the services centres offer and are able to access them. So this financial year, a major national communications campaign, including public relations activities, has been funded to raise awareness of children's centres.
	
		
			  Table 1: Spending on public relations specifically related to Sure Start  children's centres  where figures are available since 2004 
			 Financial Year Amount (£) 
			 2009/10 346,000 
			 2008/09 13,000 
			 2007/08 35,000

Departmental Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on  (a) Entry to Employment,  (b) community service places,  (c) community service local authority pilots,  (d) opportunities to participate in community service at school,  (e) Youth Taskforce,  (f) Youth Opportunity Fund,  (g) Youth Capital Fund,  (h) Positive Activities for Young People,  (i) Empowering Young People pilots,  (j) residentials (including Do it 4 Real),  (k) Youth Sector Development Fund,  (l) Youth Leadership Fund,  (m) Youth Workforce Reform,  (n) Myplace,  (o) Youth Media Fund and  (p) other activity programmes for young people in 2008-09; and how much his Department plans to spend on each such programme in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Dawn Primarolo: Table 1 as follows shows spend on each of the programmes for 2008-09 and allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11, except for item  (h) Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP). Allocations for this are provided in table 2 as funding for PAYP is included in the area based grant so while local authorities receive a nominal allocation, decisions on planned and actual spend are determined locally.
	No funding has been allocated for any of these programmes in 2011-12 as this is outside the current spending review period.
	
		
			  Table 1: Actual and planned spend (for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11) 
			  £ million 
			Planned spend 
			   Actual spend in 2008-09  2009-10  2010-11( 1) 
			  (a) Entry to Employment 170.0 223.0 (2)- 
			  (b) Community service(3) 0 (4)68.0 (4)78.0 
			  (c) Community service local authority pilots(5) 0 2.0 5.0 
			  (d) Opportunities to participate in community service at school(6) 0 2.0 9.0 
			  (e) Youth Taskforce 12.5 22.2 19.6 
			  (f) Youth Opportunity Fund 36.0 40.9 41.2 
			  (g) Youth Capital Fund(7) 29.0 46.6 26.5 
			  (i) Empowering Young People pilots 6.7 0.0 0.0 
			  (j) Residentials (including Do It 4 Real) 5.5 6.3 6.5 
			  (k) Youth Sector Development Fund (YSDF) 13.5 36.2 39.7 
			  (l) Youth Leadership Fund 0.7 2.3 3.1 
			  (m) Young People's Workforce Reform 6.0 10.0 10.0 
			  (n) myplace capital 2.4 27.8 133.7 
			  (o) Youth Media Fund 3.7 3.3 4.1 
			  (p) Other activity programmes for young people 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 (1 )2010-11 data are based on allocations. (2) In 2010-11 Entry to Employment (E2E) will become part of provision under the broader Foundation Learning pathway. Funding for Foundation Learning has yet to be determined within the 16-19 further education budget. (3) Funding of £146 million was made available to deliver Community Service following the announcement in April 2009. (4) Includes £64 million/year for community action opportunities as part of E2E (2009-10) and Foundation Learning (2010-11). This funding covers both the overall learning provision and the community action element within it: it therefore overlaps with the funding set out in line  (a). (5) The funding for local authority pilots is also included in the figure provided for  (b). (6) The funding provided to support all schools in providing opportunities to engage their pupils in community service is also included in the figure provided for  (b). (7) Youth Capital Fund (YCF) includes YCF+ funding.  Note: Do It 4 Real, Youth Media Fund, YSDF and Youth Leadership Fund spend includes contributions from other Government Departments. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Positive Activities for Young People allocations within the area based grant (for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11) 
			  £ million 
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			  (h) Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) 52.85 74.50 94.50

Departmental Surveys

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department and its agencies.

Diana Johnson: The 2009 People Survey results for DCSF are now available in the House Libraries. These results are also available on the DCSF website at the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/aboutus/staffsurvey/
	The Department does not have any agencies.

Free School Meals: GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals were entered for GCSEs in each subject in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of pupils entered for GCSEs in each subject in 2009 by  free school meal  eligibility 
			   Number of FSM pupils entered  Percentage of all FSM pupils at the end of Key  Stage 4  Number of non-FSM pupils entered  Percentage of all non-FSM pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 
			 Biological Science 3,525 4.7 67,757 13.4 
			 Chemistry 2,985 4.0 64,334 12.8 
			 Physics 2,954 4.0 64,231 12.7 
			 Core Science 53,925 72.5 378,560 75.1 
			 Additional Science 30,470 41.0 275,635 54.7 
			 Additional Applied Science 6,965 9.4 39,902 7.9 
			 Single Award Science 53,927 72.5 378,603 75.1 
			  
			 English 67,351 90.5 487,358 96.6 
			 Maths 68,130 91.6 489,359 97.0 
			 Statistics 6,112 8.2 63,908 12.7 
			  
			 Design and Technology and Electronics 1,028 1.4 10,583 2.1 
			 Design and Technology and Food Technology 7,003 9.4 58,591 11.6 
			 Design and Technology and Graphics 5,498 7.4 49,547 9.8 
			 Design and Technology and Resistant Materials Technology 7,889 10.6 60,360 12.0 
			 Design and Technology and Systems Control 436 0.6 5,325 1.1 
			 Design and Technology and Textiles Technology 4,551 6.1 34,133 6.8 
			 Office Technology 3,465 4.7 28,372 5.6 
			 Information Technology 3,791 5.1 46,167 9.2 
			 Business Studies 5,696 7.7 63,969 12.7 
			 Home Economics 3,401 4.6 19,158 3.8 
			  
			 Geography 11,049 14.9 137,972 27.4 
			 History 13,466 18.1 160,715 31.9 
			 Music 2,951 4.0 39,641 7.9 
			 Art and Design 17,714 23.8 135,362 26.8 
			 Fine Art 4,019 5.4 36,876 7.3 
			 English Literature 44,942 60.4 399,628 79.2 
			 Drama 8,124 10.9 70,021 13.9 
			 Media, Film and Television Studies 7,314 9.8 52,715 10.5 
			 Physical Education 10,314 13.9 117,719 23.3 
			 Religious Studies 16,202 21.8 137,223 27.2 
			  
			 French 10,273 13.8 130,311 25.8 
			 German 3,098 4.2 58,014 11.5 
			 Spanish 3,294 4.4 42,685 8.5 
			 Italian 171 0.2 2,615 0.5 
			 Arabic 676 0.9 751 0.1 
			 Bengali 581 0.8 598 0.1 
			 Chinese 109 0.1 1,168 0.2 
			 Dutch 209 0.3 211 0.0 
			 Gujarati 38 0.1 718 0.1 
			 Japanese 48 0.1 797 0.2 
			 Modern Greek 25 0.0 346 0.1 
			 Modern Hebrew 12 0.0 230 0.0 
			 Panjabi 111 0.1 760 0.2 
			 Persian 144 0.2 253 0.1 
			 Polish 61 0.1 2,021 0.4 
			 Portuguese 254 0.3 938 0.2 
			 Russian 62 0.1 871 0.2 
			 Turkish 523 0.7 624 0.1 
			 Urdu 1,248 1.7 2,747 0.5 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are revised. 2. Figures relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools.  Source: National Pupil Database

GCE A-level

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils not eligible for free school meals achieved three A grades at A-level in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 22 March 2010
	Pupil level data relating to free school meal eligibility were not collected in 1997. In 2008, 14,431 (10.5 per cent.) pupils not eligible for free school meals achieved three or more A grades at A-level. The percentage is of all pupils not eligible for free schools meals entered for at least one GCE/Applied GCE A level/Double Award in 2008.
	The figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2007) in maintained schools only who were eligible for free school meals when they were academic age 16. The figures do not include the achievement of students in further education sector colleges previously eligible for free school meals.

Offences Against Children: Doncaster

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the Audit Commission will have access to the full serious case review into the case of Children J produced by Doncaster Safeguarding Children Board during its forthcoming inspection of Doncaster.

Dawn Primarolo: It is for the Audit Commission to determine the information it needs for the purposes of undertaking a Corporate Governance Inspection and to discuss this with the relevant local authority in each case.

Pre-school Education

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what statutory duties there are on local authorities in England to provide nursery places for three and four year olds; what remedies are available to parents in instances where a local authority fails to fulfil that duty; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Section 7 of the Childcare Act 2006, together with the regulations made under it (the Local Authority [LA] (Duty to Secure Early Years Provision Free of Charge) Regulations 2008), place a duty on English local authorities to secure that early years provision is available free of charge for 12.5 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year for every child in its area for the two years prior to their reaching compulsory school age (children reach compulsory school age at the start of the next school term after they turn five). This must be available from a provider who delivers the Early Years Foundation Stage.
	Statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities should put in place appeals procedures for parents who are not satisfied that their child has received their free entitlement and if a parent is not satisfied with the way in which their appeal has been conducted or believe the local authority has acted unreasonably they may make a complaint to the local authority ombudsman.
	A legal challenge by way of judicial review for breach of the statutory duty could also be brought. If the court is satisfied that the LA is in breach of its duty under the Childcare Act it can order that the LA take action to remedy this.
	In addition, by virtue of section 15 of the Childcare Act, a parent may also complain to the Secretary of State under section 496, 497 or 497A of the Education Act 1996. The Secretary of State has intervention powers under sections 496, 497 and 497A of the Education Act 1996, for instance to direct that the local authority discharge its statutory duty.

Pre-school Education: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many childcare places have been created in Hemsworth since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of child care places is not available for parliamentary constituencies.

Pre-school Education: Lancashire

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding streams are available for  (a) pre-schools and  (b) play groups in Lancashire.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 11 March 2010
	 Pre-school settings and playgroups which are Ofsted registered are eligible to receive funding from their local authority (LA) to deliver the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds to up to 12.5 hours free early learning and child care a week. This will be increased to 15 hours from September 2010. The settings may also receive funding from their LA to deliver free early years places to their most disadvantaged two-year-olds. These settings are eligible for funding from the Sure Start Early Years and Childcare Capital Grant which is also distributed by local authorities, of which £642 million has been made available nationally between 2008-11 to support settings to increase access, quality and inclusion for all children.
	Pre-school settings and playgroups are also eligible for funding from other smaller funding streams which are distributed by LAs in accordance with the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant and Aiming High for Disabled Children Grant: 2009 -10 Memorandum of Grant, 20 February 2009.

Schools: Vetting

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what vetting and barring guidance applies to visits to schools by representatives of religious organisations; and how many such representatives have been refused access to schools in accordance with that guidance in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: The guidance on the arrangements that schools need to make in relation to visitors from different organisations is contained in 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education'. The Department does not collect any information on how many visitors have been refused access to schools. The decision on whether or not to refuse access to a school is made at a local level by school staff and governing bodies, who are best placed to make these judgments.

Support for All: The Families and Relationships

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department allocated for the publication and distribution of the Think Fathers best practice guide referred to in the Green Paper, Support for All: the Families and Relationships in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The funding for the new support for families as outlined in Support for All: a Families and Relationships Green Paper has been allocated from current budgets. In the last 12 months, around £25,000 has been allocated for the publication and distribution of the Think Fathers best practice guide.

Support for All: The Families and Relationships

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has allocated for the publication and distribution of free parenting support booklets as referred to in the Green Paper, Support for All: the Families and Relationships.

Dawn Primarolo: The funding for the new support for families as outlined in Support for All: a Families and Relationships Green Paper has been allocated from current budgets.
	The parenting booklet for parents of teenagers will be taken forward next financial year and consequently no money has been spent on it to date. Around £150,000 has been allocated for their publication and distribution for 2010-11.

Teachers: Complaints

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has updated its study of 2003-04 entitled Allegations Audit.

Dawn Primarolo: Similar data to these collected in the 2003-04 Allegations Audit were collected in 2004-05, and less detailed data on allegations were collected in 2007. The data collected in 2004-05 were used to inform the development of guidance on handling allegations of abuse made against those who work with children and young people, but were not published as a data set. The data collected in 2007 were used to inform the review of implementation of guidance on handling allegations. The analysis of these data were included within the report of the review published in May 2009 and is available to download from the Every Child Matters website.

OLYMPICS

Departmental Surveys

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for the Government Olympic Executive.

Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) reports to me as Minister for the Olympics through the Permanent Secretary to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Results for GOE will be included in the DCMS results for the October 2009 staff survey. This will be published on the DCMS website in April 2010 and following publication a copy will be placed in the Library.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club: Travel

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the All England Lawn Tennis Club on the provision of transport for tennis players, officials and VIPs for the 2010 All England Tennis Championships by a company that is not licensed under the 1998 Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There have been no such discussions with Ministers or officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	This is a matter for the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

Coastal Areas: Regeneration

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made on the final round of funding for the Sea Change project; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 16 March 2010
	The final round of Sea Change funding was announced on 16 November, with £8.8 million being allocated. This means a total of £38 million has been allocated to 32 resorts over the three waves of the programme.

Cricket: Public Participation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have played cricket over the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people who regularly play cricket in England.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Active People Survey commissioned by Sport England shows that 207,500 adults are taking part in at least one moderate intensity, 30 minute session of cricket each week. In addition, 428,400 people played cricket at least once a month in 2009-10.
	The Active People Survey was first run in 2005-6. The number of people who have played cricket over the last five years is set out in the table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-6 380,300 
			 2007-8 419,500 
			 2008-9 428,000 
			 2009-10 428,400 
		
	
	The latest information on cricket participation can be found on the Sport England website at the following link:
	http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey/active_people_survey_4/aps4_quarter_1/idoc.ashx?docid=de15dfc8-b419-4f0f-bfd5-8adc6c53dabd&version=1>

Culture: Databases

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many applications to attend his Department's Rewired Culture event on 27 March 2010 have been received;
	(2)  how many Rewired State events were held in 2009; how much each cost; and how many people attended each such event.

Margaret Hodge: 70 people had signed up so far for the Rewired Culture event.
	Rewired State is a not for profit company. Rewired Culture is the first Rewired event that has been organised by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, although the Department was a sponsor of Young Rewired State in 2009 along with Central Office of Information, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Chief Information Officer Council.

Departmental Food

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by his Department and its non-departmental bodies are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department has no canteen facilities which use meat or fresh dairy products. We advise our non-departmental public bodies on best practice in food procurement, drawing on relevant guidance provided by DEFRA and the Office of Government Commerce.

Departmental Theft

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to deter theft from within the Department.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department's buildings are covered by CCTV and have 24 hour security guarding. Security is kept under review and the Department follows best practice on physical security set out in the Cabinet Office Security Policy Framework.
	The Department will be implementing 'hot-desking' at the end of March in its main building, which will include a clear desk policy. This will provide an additional security measure to prevent thefts.

Sports: Finance

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been provided for  (a) cricket,  (b) football and  (c) rugby by his Department in 2009-10.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England invests in the national governing bodies of cricket, football and rugby through the Whole Sport Plans (WSP), which run for a four-year period (2009 to 2013).
	The table shows the funding provided for 2009.
	
		
			   2009 investment (£) 
			 Cricket 10,545,199 
			 Football 7,851,278 
			 Rugby league 6,101,145 
			 Rugby union 9,351,857 
		
	
	Sport England also invests £15 million Exchequer funding each year to the Football Foundation to support projects including kit, safe goalposts, all weather pitches and floodlights.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Boilers: Carbon Emissions

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the efficiency ratings are in respect of the Standard Assessment Procedure for the calculation of carbon emissions of domestic boilers using B30K oil.

Joan Ruddock: The Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) commissioned efficiency trials which compared C2 kerosene, BS 2869 and B30K in the same boiler and the results are indicated in the following table. While this is a small sample, the results suggest there may be a marginal difference in efficiency from using B30K compared with kerosene alone.
	Nonetheless, manufacturers of those boilers that have been modified to burn B30K have yet to submit information on boiler efficiency for inclusion in the Boiler Efficiency Database. This database is the repository of boiler efficiency information that underpins the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and can be accessed at:
	www.sedbuk.com
	
		
			   Fuel 
			   Kerosene  B30K 
			 Output (kW) 26.2 26.4 
			 Full load efficiency (Percentage) 97.9 97.4 
			 Part load efficiency (Percentage) 100.2 101.4

Boilers: Government Assistance

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the operation of the boiler scrappage scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 18 March 2010
	The boiler scrappage scheme has proved popular and appears to have stimulated many people to consider replacing their boiler. We estimate that the scheme is helping householders to save around £200 a year off fuel bills and reduce emissions and sustain work for 130,000 installers and employees of the 25 UK-based boiler manufacturers.

Carbon Emissions: Housing

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) undertaken any research of the level of consumer awareness of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Government are taking a number of steps to ensure consumers are assisted in understanding the support available to them. The Government support a one-stop shop through the Energy Saving Trust which provides free advice to consumers on energy saving as well as providing easy access to the full range of Carbon Emission Reduction Target offers. This is supported by the Government's overarching Act on CO2 marketing campaign which demonstrates the benefits of the energy saving measures offered under the Carbon Emission Reduction Target as part of coverage in national television, press, radio and online. We have recently conducted qualitative research among consumers to help deepen our understanding of attitudes, behaviours, motivations and barriers for home insulation. Longer term, we have set out our intention as part of the 'Warm Homes, Greener Homes' strategy to continue to improve and simplify consumer access to, and navigation of, energy saving information. This will combine with effective branding and marketing to build awareness and trust in the available products and services.

Carbon Emissions: Housing

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to the introduction of a sunset clause in the eligible measures under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The supplier obligation (now termed the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) has been set over three-year cycles precisely to allow Government to reflect on its successes and to evolve the scheme so that it only pulls through the most energy efficient products with the most potential to provide for household sector carbon emissions reductions. The measures eligible for each phase are subject to full public consultation. The consultation on the April 2011 to December 2012 extension of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, which concluded on 14 March 2010, specifically asked whether Government should introduce up front sunset clauses for products when they reach a certain level of market penetration. Consultation responses are now being considered.

Departmental Offices

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on office refurbishments since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: Since its inception on 3 October 2008 the Department has spent a total of £1,649,504 on refurbishments.

Departmental Sick Leave

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many working days were lost in his Department as a result of  (a) stress and  (b) other illnesses in 2008-09.

Joan Ruddock: The average working days lost due to illness for 2008-09 was 2.6 days. We are unable to provide a breakdown of this by category of illness for this period of time.

Departmental Surveys

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department.

Joan Ruddock: The DECC Employee Engagement Survey results are now available in the Library.
	The results are also available on the DECC website
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/default.aspx?nl=26&n2 =1138&n3=1139&preview=true

Energy: Conservation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding has been allocated to  (a) each pay as you save pilot scheme and  (b) the pay as you save scheme for (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Joan Ruddock: The Government have made £4 million available for the Home Energy Pay As You Save pilots. £2 million in 2009-10 and £2 million in 2010-11. The five pilot projects were announced in December 2009.
	Spend profiles are based on individual pilot start-up plans. Budgets for 2010-11 are indicative only and are subject to review and first year evaluation. All figures in the Following table excludes operating costs.
	
		
			  £ 000 
			  Pilot Project  2009-10  2010-11( 1) 
			 British Gas 500 500 
			 Birmingham City Council 70 800 
			 B & Q 400 600 
			 Gentoo 200 200 
			 Stroud District Council 200 300 
			 (1) Indicative

Fuel Poverty: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of households in fuel poverty in Leeds North West constituency.

David Kidney: The most recently available sub-regional split of fuel poverty relates to 2006, and shows that there were 4,200 households in the Leeds North West constituency that were classified as living in fuel poverty.

Guanidine

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of guanidine to his Department's renewable energy strategy.

Joan Ruddock: None. Guanidine is a potential chemical carrier for hydrogen-which can be used in modified internal combustion engines (ICEs), turbines or fuel cells. Guanidine is a solid at room temperature. Its advocates claim that this offers some advantages over the current methods for storing hydrogen as a compressed gas or cryogenic liquid.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2010,  Official Report, column 799W, on nuclear power stations: construction, whether representatives of non-governmental organisations participating in the planned forum will be reimbursed for  (a) travel,  (b) subsistence and  (c) accommodation expenses; whether assistance will be provided to those representatives to cover loss of earnings consequent on attendance at the planned forum; and what budget has been allocated to support the work of the forum.

David Kidney: Representatives of non-governmental organisations participating in the planned forum will be offered the following:
	 (a) Reasonable travel costs to be reimbursed;
	 (b) Subsistence payments will not be offered although suitable refreshments will be provided depending on the time of day.
	 (c) Accommodation expenses will not be paid. Loss of earnings will not be covered. No specific budget has been allocated. Any costs associated with the planned forum will be covered within the running costs of the Office for Nuclear Development.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Food

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by his Department and its non-departmental bodies are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme.

Michael Foster: All food products procured on behalf of the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK are purchased by our catering contractors, Charlton House Catering Services. Charlton House Catering Services uses only nominated suppliers that are able to demonstrate conformity with current animal welfare legislation. They procure free range produce where possible within cost constraint and are working with Assured Food Standards to identify and promote products that qualify under the Red Tractor assurance scheme. DFID will ensure that in any future re-entering of the catering contract, due regard will be given to animal welfare standards as part of the awarding criteria.

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 877W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the refresh of its website.

Michael Foster: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer of 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 806W, on Departmental Internet.

Departmental Written Questions

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the dates of publication of any regular statistics or reports by his Department have been affected by planning for the forthcoming general election.

Michael Foster: On the announcement of a general election, the Cabinet Secretary issues guidance to Departments on their activities during the pre-election period. This will be published on the Cabinet Office website.
	Regular statistical releases and reports will continue to be issued and published during the election period on dates which have been pre-announced.

Developing Countries: Disabled

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to ensure that each of his Department's country programmes record and report on their support for access to education for children with disabilities.

Michael Foster: Lack of reliable data on enrolment, attendance, achievement and completion of education by children with disabilities is an issue in most countries where the Department for International Development (DFID) provides support to education. DFID's new Education Strategy sets out our commitment to publish a new toolkit which aims to support country programmes and partners in delivering inclusive education for children with a disability. This will include working with national partners on data collection and monitoring. At an international level, progress will require working with the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) and UNESCO's Institute for Statistics (UIS).

Developing Countries: Disabled

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will support proposals for the establishment of rights for disabled people to an inclusive education at the forthcoming  (a) (i) G8 and (ii) G20 summit in Canada and  (b) the Millennium Development Goals Review in September 2010.

Michael Foster: Every child should have access to a good quality basic education. The Department for International Development (DFID) will continue to advocate for the education of children with disabilities in all forums, including the G8, G20 and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Review Summit. DFID recognises the importance of supporting primary aged children with disabilities to receive an education, as well as other children who have been denied access, for achieving the Millennium Development Goal.

Developing Countries: Disabled

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if his Department will use the Fast Track Initiative's equity and inclusion framework when part of a donor group charged with assessing education sector plans submitted to the Fast Track Initiative.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) will support the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) to ensure that countries are supported to tackle exclusion of children from education including those with a disability. DFID has been a member of the small task team of donors and civil society which has led on the production and piloting of the FTI's equity and inclusion framework. DFID's Rwanda office is currently using the framework in partnership with the national Government and we would expect to use the framework in other DFID partner countries where education sector plans are being assessed under the FTI.

Developing Countries: Disabled

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will support proposals for the insertion of an indicator on disability into the Indicative Framework that guides education sector planning under the Fast Track Initiative.

Michael Foster: The Department of International Development (DFID) has been one of the lead partners within the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) in supporting the development of an Equity and Inclusion Tool. This will ensure that countries which are supported address the barriers to education faced by marginalised children including those with a disability. The Indicative Framework is currently under review. In the context of this review, DFID will continue stress the importance of including equity and inclusion issues.

Developing Countries: Disabled

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will request  (a) the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and  (b) other international organisations to provide greater support for developing countries to monitor educational access for children with disabilities.

Michael Foster: Supporting developing countries to monitor children's access to education is important for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The Department for International Development (DFID) is already providing financial support to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (£200,000 in 2009-10) and the UNESCO Global Monitoring Report (£300,000 in 2009-10) to collect and disseminate statistical information of children's enrolment. As part of our continuing dialogue with these and other organisations, we have advocated the need for data collection to include statistics for children with disabilities. DFID supported calls for equity-based reporting of statistics from participants to the DFID Millennium Development Goals Conference on 11 March 2010.

Developing Countries: Disabled

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the toolkit on inclusive education announced in his Department's education strategy will be disseminated to  (a) country programmes and  (b) other development partners; and what steps he plans to take to encourage take-up of the toolkit in his Department's country programmes.

Michael Foster: The toolkit to support country programmes and partners in delivering inclusive education for children with disabilities will be finalised by the end of March and disseminated to countries over the following three months. Country offices will be encouraged to make use of the toolkit and share extensively with other development partners, through forums such as local education groups (LEG).

Developing Countries: Disabled

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects the toolkit on inclusive education announced in his Department's education strategy to be delivered.

Michael Foster: The new toolkit to support country programmes and partners in delivering inclusive education for children with disabilities will be completed by the end of March and disseminated to countries in the following three months.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of high quality healthcare services to tackle tuberculosis in the next five years.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) combats tuberculosis through our contributions to multilateral organisations such as the World Health Organisation; partnerships like STOP TB and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM); bilateral programmes; and DFID's support for research.
	DFID has pledged £1 billion from 2008 to 2015 to GFATM, which estimates that it has supported the detection and treatment of 5.4 million people with TB. In addition, we have a 20-year commitment of up to €60 million per year by 2010 to UNITAID, which by 2011 is aiming to triple access to rapid tests for multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB and reduce the price MDR-TB medicines by 25 per cent. The UK is also investing £6 billion up to 2015 to improve health systems in developing countries, essential to improving the quality, availability and accessibility of health services, particularly by the most poor and vulnerable, including those with TB.

Fiji: Storms

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance his Department is providing to Fiji following Cyclone Tomas.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £100,000 to the Fiji Red Cross to help with the immediate disaster relief efforts.

Rwanda: Politics and Government

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1416W, on Rwanda: politics and government, what representations his Department has made to ensure that full political rights, within the framework of Rwandan law, are upheld.

Gareth Thomas: Officials of the Department for International Development (DFID) are in regular contact with representatives of the Government of Rwanda regarding the registration of opposition political parties. DFID officials also work in close coordination with their Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO) colleagues on this issue. The British high commissioner in Kigali has recently discussed the registration of political parties with the Rwandan Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Local Government. He has been assured that those parties which meet the criteria laid down in Rwandan law will be able to register.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to seek to improve the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: Since September 2008, the Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated £12.5 million to the humanitarian response in Sri Lanka. Recently, we have funded impartial agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration to support the safe transportation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning from the camps to their areas of origin and United Nations operations to provide transitional shelter.
	DFID has a full-time humanitarian adviser based at the British high commission in Colombo. Our adviser remains in regular contact with the Government of Sri Lanka, UN Country Team, International Committee of the Red Cross, NGOs and humanitarian donors in order to bring about an improvement in both the humanitarian situation and international response. For more information on DFlD's humanitarian response please see:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/srilankacrisis

Teachers: Training

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the 130,000 teachers to be trained each year under his Department's education strategy will be trained in using inclusive education methodologies.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) education strategy includes a commitment to produce a toolkit and guidance to support country programmes and partners in delivering inclusive education for children with disabilities. Ensuring teachers are trained effectively is likely to be included as one strategy to help improve the access of children with disabilities to a good quality basic education.
	In Vietnam DFID has provided £243 million to the Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children (PEDC) programme, which includes a strong focus on primary education for children with disabilities. This programme includes a range of components including teacher training and professional development, along side the development of learning materials and preparation of a national strategy for Inclusive Education.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Angola: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Angola.

Ivan Lewis: Bilateral relations with Angola are good. We are keen to develop a strategic partnership with this important country and work more closely on regional and international issues of mutual interest. We believe that the UK has much to contribute to Angola's economic, social and political development. Our foreign policy priorities include democracy, good governance, human rights and development. The UK has a very strong trade relationship with Angola. Combined visible trade alone was over £600 million last year. British companies have long been major investors in the oil sector, but are increasingly looking for investment partnerships in new areas such as financial services, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. This is in line with the Angolan Government's wish to diversify the economy.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Burmese government on the publication of an election law preventing Aung San Suu Kyi from participating in the forthcoming elections in Burma.

Ivan Lewis: There have been no opportunities for discussions with the Burmese government since the election laws were announced. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made a statement describing the targeting of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party "vindictive and callous". He also wrote to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon referring to the forthcoming meeting of the Group of Friends to ensure a united and effective international response to the unfair terms imposed by the regime's election laws. At the Human Rights Council on 15 March, at which Burmese Government representatives were present, the Government condemned the election laws. Our Ambassador in Rangoon continues to remind the military regime at every opportunity that without the participation of ethnic groups and the democratic opposition the forthcoming elections will not be credible.

Burma: Asylum

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of recent arrests and deportation to Burma of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Ivan Lewis: We are concerned by the recent reports by Medecins Sans Frontieres and Physicians for Human Rights on the situation facing displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh. We have raised the plight of the Rohingyas and their status with the Government of Bangladesh, both bilaterally and in concert with EU partners. Officials from our High Commission in Dhaka, including the High Commissioner, have visited the camps for displaced Rohingyas, which are run by UN agencies. We are also supporting the European Commission and UN programmes for Rohingyas through the UK's core funding to the EU and the UN.

Burma: Dams

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the forcible relocation of civilians by the Burma regime for the Myitsone dam construction in Kachin State, Burma.

Ivan Lewis: We are concerned about the impact of the construction of the Myitsone Dam on the environment and the human rights of local people. Officials from our embassy in Rangoon have visited the dam site on several occasions, most recently in January 2010. We understand that local people have been told to leave the area, although have so far refused to do so. Our embassy in Rangoon is supporting work to assess the social and environmental impact of this and other dam projects.

Burma: Ethnic Groups

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the mortar-bombing of a school in Karen, Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware of reports detailing State Peace and Development Council attacks on unarmed civilians that took place in February 2010, in which two people were injured and unfortunately one schoolboy was killed. We remain deeply concerned about the situation in Karen State where attacks carried out by the Burmese army and their Karen client organisations on civilians have been particularly intense over the past two years. We have repeatedly called for a halt to such offensives and called on the military regime and the Karen National Union to intensify their efforts to bring about a permanent end to the conflict.

China: Human Rights

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote human rights in China.

Ivan Lewis: Promotion of human rights is a fundamental part of our relationship with China. Despite economic and social progress, which has raised 500 million out of poverty in just 30 years, progress in civil and political rights has been much slower with a marked deterioration in some areas. It is in our interests to help China do better in these areas through greater respect for human rights, transparency and accountability. Our approach includes high-level messaging to encourage political progress and project work to deliver concrete assistance on the ground.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised a range of human rights issues including individual cases during his recent visit to China on 15-17 March. He made clear that human rights are our basic values-and a vital part of any stable and sustainable system.
	The UK/China Human rights Dialogue provides an open channel of communication with the Chinese Government about human rights concerns and allows issues to be discussed in greater depth. The latest round took place on 18-19 March.
	Engaging with China on human rights requires sustained commitment. Therefore we will continue to raise human rights at every available opportunity as made clear in our public strategy for engagement with China, published in January 2009.

Conflict Resolution: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department plans to allocate additional funding for the purpose of tackling violence against women overseas consequent on the creation of the new ministerial role to which Baroness Kinnock has been appointed; whether civil service posts will be dedicated to providing support for that ministerial post; whether the Government plans to bring forward an integrated strategy for tackling violence against women overseas; and whether performance indicators will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Government's work to tackle violence against women overseas.

Ivan Lewis: On International Women's day, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that my noble Friend Baroness Kinnock will be given responsibility for leading the Government's work to tackle violence against women overseas. This is the first time such a dedicated responsibility has existed within the Government and reflects the growing awareness of the impact of violence against women on societies around the world and its effect on our international policies towards security, the economy and development.
	The appointment of Baroness Kinnock will ensure that the existing resources available for work on violence against women in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence, including staff, are effectively co-ordinated, ensuring a coherent UK approach. Baroness Kinnock will provide a high level voice on this issue, ensuring UK assistance is targeted and that opportunities are seized to share best practice. The Government have undertaken a public consultation with a view to revising the UK's National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security. We will continue to engage with civil society as this is developed. We are considering the inclusion of indicators to measure progress and are also supporting the development of international indicators at the UN level.

Departmental Marketing

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 103W, on departmental marketing, how much his Department and agencies have spent on advertising, marketing, public relations and publicity in relation to the  (a) Real Help Now and  (b) Building Britain's Future themed campaign to date.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not conducted any Real Help Now or Building Britain's Future themed campaigns.

Departmental Sick Leave

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many sick days members of his Department have taken in each month of each year since 1997.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to reducing sickness absence. The average number of days sick leave by UK staff has decreased from 8.9 days in 1997 to 3.5 days in 2009. Per capita sickness absence in the FCO has been consistently below the public sector average.
	We do not keep records centrally of sick leave taken by locally-engaged staff members. This information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	Data collection since 1997 has been complicated by the introduction of new Pay and management information systems. It is therefore possible that the figures given below do not reflect consistent recording methods.
	Annual figures are available from 2000 and monthly figures from April 2006:
	
		
			   Total number of days  Average number of days per officer 
			 1997 n/a 8.9 
			 1998 n/a 8.0 
			 1999 n/a n/a 
			 2000 (1)20,900 6.3 
			 2001 25,012 6.6 
			 2002 27,720 4.7 
			 2003 33,219 5.6 
			 2004 35,969 6.2 
			 2005 20,904 3.4 
			 2006 19,102 3.1 
			 2007 20,650 3.6 
			 2008 20,267 3.6 
			 2009 21,271 - 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Estimated 
		
	
	
		
			   Number 
			  2006  
			 April 2,232 
			 May 2,168 
			 June 1,868 
			 July 1,819 
			 August 1,726 
			 September 1,690 
			 October 1,648 
			 November 1,895 
			 December 1,549 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 1,682 
			 February 1,674 
			 March 1,770 
			 April 1,641 
			 May 1,777 
			 June 1,530 
			 July 1,723 
			 August 1,671 
			 September 1,572 
			 October 1,832 
			 November 2,028 
			 December 1,750 
			   
			  2008  
			 January 2,186 
			 February 1,895 
			 March 1,717 
			 April 1,845 
			 May 1,372 
			 June 1,258 
			 July 1,541 
			 August 1,250 
			 September 1,797 
			 October 1,847 
			 November 1,621 
			 December 1,938 
			   
			  2009  
			 January 1,986 
			 February 2,036 
			 March 1,931 
			 April 1,761 
			 May 1,793 
			 June 1,669 
			 July 2,111 
			 August 1,563 
			 September 1,469 
			 October 1,827 
			 November 1,773 
			 December 1,352 
			   
			  2010  
			 January 1,385

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: The number of staff who had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last three years was 86 out of around 5,500 UK based civil servants (this figure includes staff in FCO services). Central records of sickness leave are kept only for UK-based civil servants within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. No central records of sickness leave are kept for locally engaged staff working overseas. Contacting all overseas posts to gather this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Egypt

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the reason was for the visit of HM Ambassador in Egypt to the Egyptian Foreign Minister in Cairo in March 2003.

Ivan Lewis: On 23 March 2003, our ambassador in Cairo met the Egyptian Foreign Minister to hand over a letter from then Prime Minister, Tony Blair to President Mubarak. He also discussed UK military action in Iraq.

Ethiopia: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Ethiopia.

Ivan Lewis: Ethiopia is one of the world's poorest countries, and a high priority for development. The UK's development programme aims to reduce poverty in Ethiopia, and to support progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. Encouraging progress has been made in recent years. In financial year 2009-10, the Department for International Development has provided over £200 million. Working in partnership with the Ethiopian Government, this has been used to support humanitarian relief, help expand public services, support improvements in governance, and stimulate growth.
	The development of an open, democratic political system is an important objective for UK work in Ethiopia. The British Government are working with all parties to address concerns around political space, with the aim that Ethiopian elections in May are as good as possible. The UK is concerned by aspects of the human rights situation in Ethiopia and we are working with a range of partners to address these.
	The British and Ethiopian Governments collaborate on regional priorities including Sudan, all parts of Somalia, and on migration and counter-terrorism. Ethiopia is a key partner on international climate change work, and has provided an important African leadership role.

Homicide

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what services his Department provides for the families of British victims of homicides committed abroad.

Chris Bryant: We will not always know whether a specific death is due to homicide, but when a British national dies abroad, including in suspicious circumstances, when they are not already aware we will work with the UK police to inform their next of kin as soon as possible. Consular staff in London are then available to update the family on any new developments.
	If the death is in suspicious circumstances we can suggest ways to raise concerns with the local authorities, offer basic information about the local police system and legal system and provide lists of local lawyers, interpreters and support groups. We will consider making appropriate representations to the local authorities if there are concerns that an investigation is not being carried out in line with local procedures or if there are justified complaints about discrimination against the person who has died or their family.
	General information on how we can help families of British nationals who die abroad in suspicious circumstances is set out in our public guide "Support for British Nationals Abroad: A guide". We also publish "Guide for bereaved families" which offers more detailed information. All Foreign and Commonwealth Office publications are available on our website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/publications

Iran: Nuclear Power

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he is having with his international counterparts on Iran's nuclear ambitions and capability.

Ivan Lewis: Addressing Iran's nuclear ambitions and capability is one of the UK's top foreign policy concerns, and others in the international community share this assessment. Iran must restore the international community's confidence in its nuclear programme. I discuss the issue with international counterparts regularly. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the importance of the dual track approach of engagement and pressure with Foreign Minister Yang, State Councillor Dai and Premier Wen in Beijing on 16 March.

Mexico

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the level of violence in Mexico; and how many British citizens are  (a) in jail and  (b) awaiting trial in Mexico.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) receives regular reporting from the British embassy on various topics including the security situation in Mexico. This reporting is based on information shared with US, EU and other partners, and from the Mexican authorities.
	Even with the regrettably high levels of violence in some parts of Mexico, tackling the drugs cartels and organised crime there is vital. Most recently, Members of the House may have seen reporting in the press of a tragic incident killing three individuals related to the US Consulate in Ciudad Juarez. I am sure you will join me in offering condolences to all those affected, in addition to the messages already given by our ambassador in Mexico and by our embassy in Washington.
	The FCO Travel Advice is kept under constant review in light of new information, and on 18 March this was upgraded to advise against all but essential travel to Ciudad Juarez.
	There are currently no British citizens in jail or awaiting trial in Mexico.

Nigeria: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Nigeria on developments in that country since the beginning of January 2010.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed developments in Nigeria with the Nigerian Foreign Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe on 11 February. My noble Friend Baroness Kinnock, Minister for Africa, met Chief Maduekwe during the African Union Summit in Addis at the end of January and in London in February. Our High Commissioner and senior visitors from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also regularly discuss political developments with the Government of Nigeria.

Pakistan: Kidnapping

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Pakistan following the kidnap and release of a five year old British boy.

Ivan Lewis: I have had no such discussions. The operation to bring about Sahil's safe release has been an excellent example of close co-operation between UK and Pakistan law enforcement agencies. Our high commission in Islamabad have also kept in close touch with the Pakistan authorities.

Rwanda: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with the Rwandan Government freedom of political expression for members of the Green Party and other political groups in that country.

Ivan Lewis: Our High Commission in Kigali remains in regular contact with the full spectrum of political opinion in Rwanda, meeting regularly with political parties from both Government and Opposition, including the Green Party. We have discussed the registration of new political parties and issues surrounding political space with the relevant Ministers in the Rwandan Government, and at ministerial level between Baroness Kinnock and Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo. We also continue to engage with the Rwandan National Election Commission over the practicalities of the forthcoming August 2010 presidential elections.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UN Security Council has been briefed on the human rights situation in occupied Western Sahara by the UN Secretary General's special envoy on Western Sahara.

Ivan Lewis: The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara regularly briefs the Security Council on developments in the conflict of Western Sahara, including the human rights situation. The current Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross, last briefed the Security Council on 18 February. Mr. Ross holds regular discussions with members of the Security Council on a range of issues related to the conflict.
	The Secretary-General will submit his report on the latest developments in Western Sahara to the Security Council in advance of the renewal of the UN Mission for the referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) mandate at the end of April.

HEALTH

Abortion

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2010,  Official Report, column 51W, on abortion, on what date he expects to place in the Library a copy of the information requested.

Gillian Merron: The information requested was placed in the Library on 18 March 2010.

Children: Abuse

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources his Department provides for therapeutic services for children who have experienced abuse.

Phil Hope: We are committed to ensuring that children can access appropriate support when it is needed. Keeping Children and Young People in Mind: the Government's full response to the independent review of CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) sets out a clear model for effective local services, together with statutory guidance for primary care trusts and local authorities. A copy has already been placed in the Library. We will also continue to support Children's Trusts to deliver quality emotional and mental health services. An independent National Advisory Council is already holding Government to account on progress.

Community Care

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Sir David Nicholson on the merits of independent provider arms for community care.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets officials to discuss a number of issues.

Community Health Services

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the number of options available to NHS trusts under the Transforming Community Services programme has been reduced; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The range of options available to primary care trusts for the future provision of their community services has not been reduced. In February 2010 the Department published Transforming Community Services: The assurance and approvals process for PCT-provided community service which set out a range of options for primary care trusts (PCTs) to consider. The guidance explained that there is no prescribed form(s) and that proposals will be judged on their merits through a nationally defined assurance process.
	The guidance makes clear, however, that in relation to Community Foundation Trusts the Department expects relatively few proposals to be sufficiently developed to meet the assurance tests and be deliverable within the required timeframe. Similarly, the Department expects relatively few proposals for continued direct provision to meet the assurance requirements sufficiently, by demonstrating that they are partnered with strong commissioning and will not detract from the PCTs core role as a commissioner.
	Transforming Community Services: The assurance and approvals process for PCT-provided community service has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_112147

Dental Services: Chesterfield

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists were practising in Chesterfield constituency on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of them were accepting new NHS  (a) adult and  (b) child patients on that date.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested, however the number of dentists with national health service activity in Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust (PCT), which covers the Chesterfield constituency, for year ending 31 March 2009, was 364.
	The number of adult patients seen by an NHS dentist in Derbyshire County PCT for the period 1 April-30 June 2009, was 268,162. The number of children seen for the same period was 98,386.
	 Note:
	Patients seen are allocated to PCT via the dentist which they attend for treatment and not by the home postcode of the patient. Most patients will live within the PCT/strategic health authority in which they receive primary care dental services but some will attend a dentist further a field (near their place of employment, for example).
	 Source:
	The Information Centre for health and social care.

Direct Payments

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in circumstances in which an individual lacks the capacity to choose to receive a direct payment for social care and that payment is made to a suitable person, who his Department deems to be the owner of the sum paid.

Phil Hope: The sum paid in the form of a direct payment is paid to the suitable person who will receive payment on behalf of the person who lacks capacity. The suitable person holds those monies in trust for the person lacking capacity. The person lacking capacity is the beneficiary.
	The suitable person will be responsible for managing the direct payments and buy services to meet the needs of the individual. However, councils also have a duty to set up financial monitoring arrangements for audit purposes to ensure that the person's needs are being met and that the finances are properly managed.

Disabled: Social Security Benefits

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether people in receipt of attendance allowance or disability living allowance will receive the full social care entitlement under the Government's proposed reforms of the social care system.

Phil Hope: If disability benefits for older people are reformed as part of the National Care Service, those receiving the affected benefits at the time of reform would continue to receive the same level of cash support. We will give more details about the National Care Service offer in our White Paper later this year.

Food: Health Hazards

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of the food industry on the effects of the provision of information on the (i) salt, (ii) sugar and (iii) fat content of foods on the ability of people to manage their (A) diabetes, (B) heart disease, (C) stroke, (D) obesity and (E) other chronic medical conditions; what recent representations he has received on those matters; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department and Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials have regular and ongoing discussions with a wide range of stakeholders within the food industry about the provision of nutritional information for fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt both on front and back of pack.
	Front of pack (FOP) labelling responds to United Kingdom consumer's desire for clear, simple, honest nutrition information and it is widely accepted that FOP labelling is a useful initiative which is valued by consumers in terms of making it easier to make healthier choices when shopping. Research and feedback from consumers has indicated that FOP labelling is often used by those with health and medical conditions such as those listed, to inform purchasing decisions.
	The FSA has developed a framework to strengthen UK FOP arrangements and develop a mechanism by which a single effective approach to FOP labelling which assists consumers to make healthier choices can be delivered.

Food: Marketing

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  who represents his Department at World Health Organisation discussions on the marketing of food to children; and what recent discussions he has had on that matter with  (a) food, advertising and marketing industry representatives and  (b) others;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had on his Department's policy on marketing restrictions as part of discussions within the World Health Organisation on food marketing to children.

Gillian Merron: The chief medical officer represents the UK Departments of Health at the WHO Executive Board and the World Health Assembly at which the issue of food marketing to children has been discussed. In addition, officials are involved in discussions with WHO Europe on the same topic and have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders including representatives of the food advertising and marketing industries.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Databases

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the new Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset will capture data from  (a) general practitioners,  (b) community contraceptive clinics and  (c) other care settings.

Gillian Merron: The Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset (SRHAD) has been developed to replace the aggregate KT31 Central Return, which currently provides limited aggregate information on contraception from sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. SRHAD will capture data from all SRH services (formerly known as family planning clinics/community contraceptive clinics) who collect the KT31 data and report them to the NHS Information Centre.
	Currently general practitioners and other care settings are not required to capture data for SRHAD. Inclusion of these services within the data standard is being considered for the future.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Databases

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to collect data from the NHS on  (a) the training received by professionals delivering sexual and reproductive health services and  (b) the number of professionals accredited to fit long-acting reversible contraceptives.

Gillian Merron: The Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset (SRHAD) has been developed to capture the services being provided to those attending sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Neither the SRHAD or the KT31 Central Return (which SRHAD replaces) records information on staffing or training within SRH services.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Databases

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when his Department plans to replace the KT31 form with the new Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity dataset;
	(2)  when the implementation of the new Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset will begin.

Gillian Merron: The Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset (SRHAD) should be implemented from 1 April 2010. However, it is recognised that information technology (IT) systems within sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services will need to be developed and/or reconfigured to enable SRHAD to be collected and reported as required. SRH providers are encouraged to submit SRHAD returns as soon as possible starting from 1 April 2010. However, for sites requiring time to develop IT systems to collect SRHAD they will continue to submit an annual KT31. KT31 will be retired once all SRH sites are able to submit SRHAD, which is anticipated to be achieved by the end of the year 2011-12.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Databases

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what data items will be collected under the new Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset;
	(2)  whether the new Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset will include data on removals of long-acting reversible contraceptives.

Gillian Merron: Removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives will be recorded in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset (SRHAD) under the SRH Care Activity data item. A list of all of the data items included in SRHAD has been placed in the Library.

Health Services: Greater London

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of patients who used maternity services in London North West district in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information is not held in the format requested. Information is available on the number of finished consultant delivery episodes at individual national health service health care providers.
	The NHS trusts in London north west with a maternity department in at least one of their sites are: Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust; Ealing Hospital NHS Trust; West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust; Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust; North West London Hospitals NHS Trust; and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
	The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant delivery episodes at selected NHS health care providers, in the years 2004-05 to 2008-09-NHS Hospitals, England 
			  NHS healthcare provider  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 3,304 3,513 3,843 4,191 4,084 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 2,788 2,924 2,680 2,973 3,016 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 3,396 3,375 2,015 3,782 3,924 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 4,572 4,847 6,004 5,208 5,336 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 0 0 0 * * 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 5,159 4,923 4,791 5,368 4,952 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust n/a n/a n/a 9,338 9,693 
			 St. Mary's NHS Trust 4,204 4,438 4,390 n/a n/a 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 4,580 4,776 4,783 n/a n/a 
			 Total 28,003 28,796 28,506 * * 
			  Notes:  1. A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which the FCE finishes. The episode types used for deliveries are "delivery episode" and "other delivery event".  2. Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures that may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer included in admitted patient HES data.  3. Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  4. Small numbers: To protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been replaced with "*" (an asterisk). Where it was still possible to identify numbers from the total an additional number (the next smallest) has been replaced. In this case it has not been possible to suppress an additional number as all others have been published. For this reason the total has been suppressed so that the value of the replaced figure cannot be calculated.   Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Health Services: Isle of Man

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the reciprocal health agreement between the UK and the Isle of Man has been placed on the agenda of the forthcoming Ministerial meeting of the British-Irish Council; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department has not sought to place the reciprocal health agreement between the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man on the agenda of the forthcoming meeting of the British Irish Council.

Health Services: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the care and support of people with learning difficulties on Merseyside in each year since 2005.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not available in the format required. However, information on programme budgeting estimated expenditure on Merseyside primary care trusts' (PCT) own populations for learning disabilities is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Estimated expenditure on own population on learning disabilities 
			  £000 
			  PCT name  2004-5  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Halton and St. Helens PCT 7,157 9,042 10,777 16,066 17,103 
			 Knowsley PCT 6,219 7,405 1,892 13,137 4,832 
			 Liverpool PCT 33,158 20,629 24,011 24,552 26,043 
			 Sefton PCT 5,528 10,582 7,723 9,111 12,069 
			 Wirral PCT 14,415 15,849 11,724 18,038 21,189 
			  Notes: 1. In order to improve data quality, continual refinements have been made to the programme budgeting data calculation methodology since the first collection in 2003-04. The underlying data which support programme budgeting data are also subject to yearly changes. Caution is therefore advised when using programme budgeting data to draw conclusions on changes in PCT spending patterns between years. 2. Figures include expenditure across all sectors. Disease specific expenditure do not include expenditure on prevention, or general practitioner expenditure, but do include prescribing expenditure.  Source: Annual PCT programme budgeting financial returns

Hospital Beds: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available in NHS hospitals in Salford in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total 
			   1997-98  2008-09 
			  Beds in wards open overnight   
			 Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust 833 808 
			 Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust - 623 
			 Salford Primary Care Trust - 53 
			
			  Day only beds   
			 Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust 40 51 
			  Notes: 1. The Salford Hospitals Trust gained foundation trust status on 1 August 2006 when it became known as the Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. 2. The Bolton, Salford and Trafford Mental Health NHS Trust did not exist in 1997-98. However, it achieved foundation trust status on 1 February 2008 when it became known as the Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care-KH03 beds census

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for an appointment in hospital was after referral by a general practitioner for suspected cancer cases in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Statistics on average waiting times between urgent referral for suspected cancer and being seen by a specialist are not collected centrally. The two week wait for all cancers was introduced from 2000. From this date forward, all patients urgently referred for suspected cancer by their general practitioner could expect to be seen by a specialist within 14 days of referral. The following table details the numbers of patients covered by this standard and the reported performance for the period April 2005 to December 2008:
	
		
			  Period (where referral was received within 24 hours)  Total seen  Number of patients seen within 14  d ays  Percentage performance 
			 Q1 2005-06 134,813 134,246 99.6 
			 Q2 2005-06 137,471 136,932 99.6 
			 Q3 2005-06 133,328 133,122 99.8 
			 Q4 2005-06 134,828 134,688 99.9 
			 
			 Q1 2006-07 145,460 145,319 99.9 
			 Q2 2006-07 151,546 151,392 99.9 
			 Q3 2006-07 155,256 155,126 99.9 
			 Q4 2006-07 152,392 152,243 99.9 
			 
			 Q1 2007-08 157,615 157,445 99.9 
			 Q2 2007-08 163,756 163,587 99.9 
			 Q3 2007-08 168,376 168,230 99.9 
			 Q4 2007-08 164,612 164,326 99.8 
			 
			 Q1 2008-09 186,364 186,120 99.9 
			 Q2 2008-09 189,397 188,832 99.7 
			 Q3 2008-09 186,206 185,924 99.8 
		
	
	From 1 January 2009 onwards the definitions and methodology used to calculate these statistics are no longer directly comparable to those used previously. This change means that the national health service no longer adjusts these data to separate referrals after 24 hours or account for the impact of patient choice, where individuals elect to delay their appointment. Statistics for the period January 2009 to December 2009 are included as follows:
	
		
			  Period  Total seen  Number of patients seen within 14 days  Percentage performance 
			 Q4 2008-09 191,508 181,038 94.5 
			 
			 Q1 2009-10 221,364 208,265 94.1 
			 Q2 2009-10 229,101 216,177 94.4 
			 Q3 2009-10 228,272 218,174 95.6

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average NHS waiting times for residents of  (a) Manchester, Blackley and  (b) the City of Manchester were in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not collected in the format requested. The information that is available is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Average (median) waiting times for first out-patient appointment (weeks)-patients still waiting at month end, time periods 2006-10 (commissioner based) 
			  Primary care trust (PCT)  Position at month end  Median (weeks) 
			 South Manchester March 2006 3.7 
			 Central Manchester March 2006 3.9 
			 North Manchester March 2006 3.8 
			
			 Manchester PCT March 2007 3.2 
			 Manchester PCT March 2008 2.7 
			 Manchester PCT March 2009 2.2 
			 Manchester PCT January 2010 2.4 
			  Notes: 1. PCT mergers took place in 2006. Figures are shown for organisations that existed at the time. 2. Out-patient waiting times are measured from referral by the general practitioner to first outpatient appointment to the consultant. 3. The figures show the median waiting times for patients still waiting for their first out-patient appointment at the end of the period stated. 4. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits.  Source: Department Waiting List Collections (QM08R and MMRCOM) 
		
	
	
		
			  Average (median) in-patient waiting times for elective admission (weeks)-patients still waiting at month end, time periods 2006-10 (commissioner based) 
			  PCT  Position at month end  Median (weeks) 
			 South Manchester March 2006 5.4 
			 Central Manchester March 2006 4.8 
			 North Manchester March 2006 6.0 
			
			 Manchester PCT March 2007 5.8 
			 Manchester PCT March 2008 4.9 
			 Manchester PCT March 2009 3.9 
			 Manchester PCT January 2010 5.3 
			  Notes: 1. PCT mergers took place in 2006. Figures are shown for organisations that existed at the time. 2. In-patient waiting times are measured from decision to admit by the consultant to admission to hospital. 3. The figures show the median waiting times for patients still waiting for admission at the end of the period stated. 4. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits.  Source: Department Waiting List Collections QF01 and MMRCOM 
		
	
	
		
			  Average (median) waiting times from referral to treatment (weeks)-patients seen within each month, time periods 2006-10 (commissioner based) 
			  PCT  Position at month end  Median (weeks)-admitted patients  Median (weeks)-non-admitted patients 
			 Manchester PCT March 2007 19.5 - 
			 Manchester PCT March 2008 8.1 4.1 
			 Manchester PCT March 2009 7.9 3.1 
			 Manchester PCT December 2009 7.9 3.7 
			  Notes: 1. Waiting times are for patients treated during the month and are from referral to first definitive treatment. 2. Data for non-admitted patients were first published in August 2007. 3. Admitted data are on an unadjusted basis for March 2007 and adjusted thereafter. 4. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits.  Source: Department Monthly RTT Return

Mental Health Services: Advocacy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2010,  Official Report, column 351W, on mental health services: advocacy, whether he plans to make public the information being collected by the Care Quality Commission on the availability of independent mental health advocates in hospitals which detain patients under the Mental Health Act 1983; and if he will issue guidance to the Care Quality Commission requiring the inclusion of information on the availability and accessibility of independent mental health advocates in annual statements for establishments registered to take detained patients under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Phil Hope: It is for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to decide whether or not to publish this information. The CQC has informed us that it will publish the results of its survey of independent mental health advocacy services and that it hopes to do so in an annual report which will be laid before Parliament later this year.

Mental Health Services: Expenditure

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much the NHS has spent on  (a) mental illness,  (b) personality disorder,  (c) learning disability,  (d) brain injury and  (e) step-down rehabilitation services provided by partnerships in care in each of the last three years;
	(2)  for what reasons the NHS sub-contracts mental health and psychiatric services to Partnerships in Care; and what recent assessment he has made of the effect on NHS expenditure of that practice.

Phil Hope: The provision of local health services, and the funding thereof, are decisions that should be made by primary care trusts and their strategic health authorities. Clinicians are best placed to decide on what services their local communities need and how they are provided. Information is not held centrally on local contracts with individual providers of care.

Mental Health Services: Finance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to the provision of cognitive behavioural therapy in  (a) Southend,  (b) Essex and  (c) England in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: Prior to the inception of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme in 2008, no central information was collected about the funding of cognitive behavioural therapy in the national health service. Consequently, the Department on has figures for the period 2008-09 onwards.
	The IAPT programme has begun to roll out services in all primary care trusts (PCTs) across England over a three-year period. In years one and two (2008-09 and 2009-10) growth money has been allocated centrally to PCTs that have demonstrated, through the submission of clear delivery plans, that they are ready to run an IAPT service.
	In 2008-09 £33 million was allocated to this programme and in 2009-10 an additional £103 million was allocated across England, in 2010-11 £173 million will be allocated.
	In Essex, four PCTs have established IAPT services and a total of £681,000 was allocated in year one and a further £1,620,000 was allocated in year two.
	The PCT covering Southend is South East Essex PCT which established an IAPT service in October 2009 following the allocation of £517,000 of funding.

Muscular Dystrophy: West Midlands

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average age of death was for people diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who died in the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area in the last 12 months.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average age of mortality was for people diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area in the last 12 months. (322490)
	The information collected at death registration provides statistics on deaths which were caused by specific conditions, or to which specific conditions were known to have contributed. It is not possible to obtain from these mortality statistics any information about all persons diagnosed with, or receiving treatment for, a specific condition.
	Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires only those conditions that contributed directly to the death to be recorded on the death certificate. Medical practitioners and coroners are not supposed to record all of the diseases or conditions present at or before death, and whether a condition contributed is a matter for their clinical judgement.
	Deaths are coded to an underlying cause of death using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The codes in ICD-10 do not allow the identification of deaths specifically with a cause of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The figure given below is therefore based on deaths from all types of muscular dystrophy, including Duchenne.
	The average (mean) age at death for people with an underlying cause of death of muscular dystrophy(1) in West Midlands strategic health authority was 48 years in 2008 (the latest year available)(2, 3).
	(1) Deaths were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code G71.0.
	(2) Based on boundaries as of February 2010.
	(3) Figures are based on deaths registered in 2008.

Neuromuscular Services: West Midlands

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with representatives of the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority on access to specialist care for people in that region diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular condition.

Ann Keen: No such discussions have been held with the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority on access to specialist care for people in the West Midlands region.
	The number of patients in the West Midlands diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions is approximately 5,000.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure the provision of services for neuromuscular dystrophy patients in that region, including access to national health service funded muscular dystrophy care advisers.

NHS: Foreign Workers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the effects on the number of jobs in the NHS of the outsourcing of finance departments to SBS Solutions in India.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not hold data on the number of jobs in the national health service that are released when finance and accounting functions are outsourced to NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS). It is the responsibility of each trust when moving these functions to NHS SBS to determine the number of posts required following outsourcing.

NHS: Foreign Workers

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many private recruitment agencies recruited health workers from Africa for work in the NHS prior to the introduction of the NHS Code of Practice on International Recruitment; how many have done so since its introduction; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many health workers from Africa were employed in the NHS immediately prior to the introduction of the NHS Code of Practice on International Recruitment; how many have been so employed since its introduction; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to  (a) monitor and  (b) enforce compliance with the NHS Code of Practice on International Recruitment; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: There is no centrally held information on the country of origin of health-workers.
	It is not known how many agencies have recruited specifically from Africa since 2001. The number of British private recruitment agencies registered with the NHS Code of Practice in August 2005, when records began, was 256 this rose to 531 in January 2010.
	NHS Employers is responsible for the management, promotion, advice and guidance on international recruitment.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the take-up rate has been for swine influenza vaccinations by each qualifying group in each of the last six months.

Gillian Merron: Cumulative, provisional data on the uptake of swine influenza vaccine each month since the beginning of the vaccination programme (October 2009) are given in the following tables for those in the usual seasonal influenza clinical risk groups, pregnant women, healthy children aged six months to below five years and front line healthcare workers. Healthcare worker data are collected weekly, so data to the end of the closest week to the end of each month are given in table 2.
	There are no data available on the uptake of swine influenza vaccine by household contacts of the immunocompromised and frontline social care workers-the other groups identified to receive swine flu vaccine.
	The data show uptake of at least one dose of swine influenza vaccine-most people only require one dose of vaccine.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Percentage 
			   Uptake by those in clinical risk groups aged under 65 years (including pregnant women)  Uptake by those in clinical risk groups aged 65 years and older  Uptake by pregnant women  Uptake by healthy ch ildren aged six months to under five  years 
			 October 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 November 18.7 9.9 9.1 1.0 
			 December 31.7 27.2 15.1 2.9 
			 January 34.8 36.2 15.7 13.5 
			 February 35.7 40.0 15.8 21.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   Uptake by frontline health care workers (percentage) 
			 Week 45 (end 8 November 2009)(1) 15.3 
			 Week 48 (end 29 November 2009) 27.1 
			 Week 52 (end 27 December 2009) 38.0 
			 Week 4 (end 31 January 2010) 39.4 
			 Week 8 (end 28 February 2010) 39.9 
			 (1 )The earliest data available

Thromboembolism: Health Services

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has allocated to the Venous Thromboembolism Exemplar Network in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: No funding has been allocated directly to the Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Exemplar Network. The aim is to mainstream good practice on VTE within the national health service, and the network demonstrates what a number of NHS organisations have achieved.

Thromboembolism: Health Services

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding has been allocated to the National Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Strategy in each of the last five years, excluding funding allocated to the National VTE Commissioning for Quality and Innovation goal;
	(2)  how much funding has been allocated to the  (a) Healthcare Acquired Infection Reduction Strategy,  (b) National Venous Thromboembolism Strategy and  (c) National Cervical Cancer Vaccination Programme in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The amounts of funding for the areas requested are as follows.
	The following table represents funding from the Department and its arm's length bodies on the Healthcare Acquired Infection Reduction Strategy. Other organisations have had a role in tackling HCAIs but their expenditure could not be separately identified. For a more detailed breakdown of these costs, please see sections 15 and 16 (p.31-36) of the National Audit Office Report, which can be found at:
	www.nao.org.uk/publications/0809/reducing_healthcare_ associated.aspx
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 6.5 
			 2005-06 7 
			 2006-07 8 
			 2007-08 10 
			 2008-09 24.5 
			 Total 57 
			  Source:  National Audit Office (NAO) report: Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections in Hospitals in England-12 June 2009. 
		
	
	The following table shows funding for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention strategy for the past five years and the current financial year. These figures do not include any of the funding related to the national VTE Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) goal. Prior to 2007 the funding of VTE prevention work was limited to expenses for the VTE Expert Working Group members and other related domestic costs for hosting meetings.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2004-05 n/a 
			 2005-06 n/a 
			 2006-07 n/a 
			 2007-08 93,500 
			 2008-09 125,936 
			 2009-10 192,764 
			 Total 412,200 
		
	
	A national vaccination programme against human papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer, began in September 2008. The Department has allocated funds to PCTs for the implementation of the programme. The funding levels (which do not include the cost of the vaccines as this is commercially confidential), which varied by year depending on the number of catch-up cohorts that the vaccine was offered to, were as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 n/a 
			 2005-06 n/a 
			 2006-07 n/a 
			 2007-08 n/a 
			 2008-09 18.9 
			 Total 18.9 
		
	
	
		
			   Current and future funding (£ million) 
			 2009-10 42 
			 2010-11 9.2 
			 Total 52.1

Thromboembolism: Health Services

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued on the implementation of the Venous Thromboembolism National Commissioning Goal to  (a) strategic health authority managers,  (b) primary care trust managers,  (c) acute trust managers and  (d) other healthcare professionals.

Ann Keen: The following guidance and support has been made available on the implementation of the Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) National Commissioning Goal within the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) payment framework:
	Details of the national CQUIN goal on VTE risk assessment for 2010-11 were included within published guidance on the CQUIN payment framework in December 2009.
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_091443
	Draft guidance on data collection was put onto UNIFY on 26 January 2010 for UNIFY users.
	Some basic information on VTE and CQUIN has been put on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthprotection/Bloodsafety/VenousThromboembolismVTE/DH_113359
	Inquiries on the VTE goal within CQUIN from staff in the national health service are being answered individually by the Department and the queries that come up regularly will also be used to form a Frequently Asked Questions section in guidance currently being prepared.

Thromboembolism: Health Services

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to NHS healthcare professionals on the revised 2010 National Venous Thromboembolism Risk Assessment Model on 2 March 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department's venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment template was revised in February 2010 in conjunction with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to ensure it was fully compliant with the guidance issued by NICE in January 2010. This then became a National VTE Risk Assessment Tool for hospitals to use. To raise awareness about the risk assessment, information has been put on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthprotection/Bloodsafety/VenousThromboembolismVTE/DH_113359

Thromboembolism: Health Services

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the role of the National Patient Safety Agency will be under the National Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Strategy.

Ann Keen: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) have been key stakeholders and supportive of the work on preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) from the outset. As we move into implementation of VTE prevention, appropriate opportunities for greater involvement of NPSA are now emerging.

Thromboembolism: Health Services

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were diagnosed with  (a) deep vein and  (b) pulmonary thrombosis in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information on admitted patients in hospital who have a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) is shown in the following table-Patients treated by their general practitioner or as out-patients are not included.
	
		
			  Counts of finished consultant episodes( 1)  with a main or secondary diagnosis( 2)  of DVT and PE, 2004-05 to 2008-09, England( 3) 
			   Finished consultant episodes by diagnosis( 4) 
			   DVT( 5)  PE( 6) 
			   All relevant ICD codes  ICD10 I80.2  
			 2008-09 62,066 46,786 56,029 
			 2007-08 61,050 46,031 49,114 
			 2006-07 61,459 46,257 46,685 
			 2005-06 63,373 48,952 43,360 
			 2004-05 59,695 46,303 40,059 
			 (1) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2) The information is the number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2004-05 to 2006-07) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. (3) Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. (4) Counts for the different diagnoses shown are not necessarily mutually exclusive and therefore summing the different diagnoses is not possible (e.g. a patient may have a DVT and a PE in a single episode, and would be counted once in each relevant column-double counting would occur if the values were summed). (5) Diagnosis is recorded in HES using ICD10 codes. ICD10 code I80.2 is used for a diagnosis of DVT where there is no further information on the site of the thrombosis. However DVT may also be recorded under a number of different codes, although these codes may also include cases which are not considered deep. The full list of relevant ICD10 codes is as follows: I80.0 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of superficial vessels of lower extremities I80.1 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of femoral vein I80.2 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of other deep vessels of lower extremities I80.3 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of lower extremities, unspecified I80.8 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of other sites I80.9 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of unspecified site O22.2 Superficial thrombophlebitis in pregnancy O22.3 Deep phlebothrombosis in pregnancy O87.0 Superficial thrombophlebitis in the puerperium O87.1 Deep phlebothrombosis in the puerperium (6) Pulmonary embolisms are coded as 126.0 (Pulmonary embolism with mention of acute cor pulmonale) and 126.9 (Pulmonary embolism without mention of acute cor pulmonale).  Note: Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer included in admitted patient HES data.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Thromboembolism: Health Services

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the role of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges will be in relation to the National Venous Thromboembolism Strategy.

Ann Keen: At a joint meeting of the Department, Academy of Royal Colleges and Strategic Health Authority Medical Directors in October 2009, it was agreed to work together on tackling venous thromboembolism prevention through professional leadership provided by the Academy coupled with national health service system levers. The Academy confirmed their commitment to provide the necessary leadership in November 2009.

Thromboembolism: Health Services

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2010,  Official Report, column 717W, on thrombosis, what format of the electronic version of the National Venous Thromboembolism Risk Assessment Model will take; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Work to develop a prototype venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment tool is ongoing. A prototype tool is being piloted at three national health service secondary care locations. The pilot work is aimed at testing the utility of a VTE risk assessment checklist on mobile and hand-held digital equipment.
	When complete we will consider the contribution of this pilot work with the context of overall VTE prevention programme.

Tuberculosis: Health Services

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to assist hard to reach groups, including those from black and minority ethnic communities and people who are homeless, to access medical services for the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis.

Gillian Merron: The Department is funding a United Kingdom charity, TB Alert, to provide awareness raising messages for groups vulnerable to tuberculosis (TB), including black and minority ethnic communities, to increase referrals for TB testing and treatment.
	The Department also funds the Find  Treat (FT) programme in London, to work alongside local TB services. The FT team are providing support to homeless people in accessing medical services for the prevention and treatment of TB. FT have provided help to over 400 people with TB to complete their treatment.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Written Questions: Government Responses

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality when she plans to answer question 310346, on Lord Sugar of Clapton, tabled on 7 January 2010.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 995-96W.

CABINET OFFICE

Deaths: Ovarian Cancer

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many women died of ovarian cancer in Merseyside in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many women died of ovarian cancer in Merseyside in each year since 1997. (322630)
	The table attached provides the number of deaths where ovarian cancer was the underlying cause of death, for women in Merseyside metropolitan county from 1997 to 2008 (latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1 :  Number of deaths where ovarian cancer( 1)  was the underlying cause of death in females, Merseyside( 2) , 1997-2008( 3) 
			  Females 
			   Deaths 
			 1997 87 
			 1998 112 
			 1999 102 
			 2000 108 
			 2001 119 
			 2002 95 
			 2003 120 
			 2004 114 
			 2005 111 
			 2006 103 
			 2007 106 
			 2008 117 
			 (1) Cause of death for ovarian cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 183.0 for the years 1997 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C56 from 2001 onwards. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years.  (2) Based on boundaries as of February 2010.  (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Deaths: Thrombosis

John Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many death certificates which mentioned thrombosis have been issued in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many death certificates which mentioned thrombosis have been issued in each of the last five years. (322541)
	Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires only those conditions that contributed directly to death to be recorded on the death certificate. Medical practitioners and coroners are not supposed to record all of the diseases or conditions present at or before death. Whether a condition contributed is a matter for their clinical judgement.
	The table attached provides the number of deaths where the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes recorded indicate whether any of the following conditions were mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor, in England and Wales, for 2004 to 2008 (the latest year available).
	(a) Myocardial infarction and coronary thrombosis
	(b) Thrombotic strokes
	(c) Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis
	(d) Arterial embolism and thrombosis
	It is not possible from death certificate data to separate thrombotic, embolic and atherosclerotic conditions affecting the arteries to the brain. Atherosclerosis of arteries in the neck and inside the skull can lead to strokes through thrombosis, embolism or sometimes haemorrhage. The table therefore includes a single category of deaths with mention of one or more ICD codes in the range that includes thrombotic, embolic and atherosclerotic cerebrovascular diseases. Pulmonary embolism and venous thrombosis have been combined, because when one is part of the sequence leading to death, the other nearly always is as well, whether it is mentioned on the certificate or not.
	When interpreting the data in these tables, it is important to be aware that some deaths may have more than one of the requested conditions mentioned. Therefore, some deaths may be counted in more than one of the causes listed.
	
		
			  Table 1. Deaths where thrombosis was mentioned on the death certificate,( 1)  England and Wales,( 2)  2004-08( 3) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Cause  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Myocardial infarction and coronary thrombosis 44,283 41,446 38,159 36,152 34,159 
			 Thrombotic strokes 505 457 385 301 290 
			 Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis 12,387 12,254 12,683 12,347 12,611 
			 Arterial embolism and thrombosis 517 518 517 501 537 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised in Table 1, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the following box. Deaths were included where one of these causes was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. Causes of death codes used-International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) 
			  Cause of death  ICD-10 code(s) 
			 Myocardial infarction and coronary thrombosis I21-I24.0 
			 Thrombotic Strokes I63.0, I63.3, I63.6, I65-I66 
			 Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis I80.1-I80.3, I80.9, I82.9, I26.0, I26.9 
			 Arterial embolism and thrombosis I74

Employment: Graduates

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many university graduates with a degree in  (a) law,  (b) engineering,  (c) mathematics and  (d) medicine have been in employment at any time since 2005.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply. The letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Public Sector Debt

William Cash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of net  (a) borrowing and  (b) debt, including financial sector interventions, public sector pensions liabilities, private finance initiative liabilities, Network Rail liabilities, nuclear decommissioning liabilities and loans to banks, expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product in each year from 2008-09 to 2014-15.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Unemployment: Glenrothes

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the level of unemployment in Glenrothes constituency was in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the level of unemployment in Glenrothes constituency was in each year since 1997. (322402)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, due to small sample sizes estimates of unemployment for the Glenrothes constituency are unavailable.
	As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for the Glenrothes constituency for January 2010 and January of each year since 2005. Figures prior to this date are unavailable as Glenrothes only became a parliamentary constituency in the 2005 General Election.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of persons resident in Glenrothes parliamentary constituency claiming  jobseeker's allowance 
			  As at January each year  Number 
			 2005 2,639 
			 2006 2,616 
			 2007 2,348 
			 2008 1,922 
			 2009 2,777 
			 2010 3,322 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Rural Land Registry on the accuracy of the maps used to calculate acreage for payment purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I either meet, or discuss with the chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) almost weekly to discuss agency progress on a range of issues including the Rural Land Register (RLR).
	The RLR Mapping Update exercise currently in progress uses the most recent Ordnance Survey (OS) data available in conjunction with aerial photography to update the RLR maps. This includes improving the positional accuracy of our map data and reflecting any real world change and ineligible land recorded by OS and farmers. The acreage for each field is calculated in hectares after the farmer has agreed the boundaries and declared any further land which is ineligible for the SPS payment.
	As of 12 March 2010, approximately half of the 107,000 farmers who were sent maps as part of the RLR Mapping Update had agreed with their maps and the remaining half had requested changes to be made. RPA has now completed the request and sent confirmatory maps to over 72 per cent. of these farmers. Of these, only 3 per cent. have requested further changes to be made, many of which are new and have not been requested previously.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is his policy to support  (a) the provision of direct payments to farmers under Pillar One of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and  (b) a CAP budget of at least equivalent monetary value following reforms of the CAP with effect from 2013.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 18 March 2010
	The UK Government's position on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was set out in the joint DEFRA/Treasury CAP Vision published in 2005. We want to see the elimination of all Direct Payments under Pillar I of the CAP. Direct Payments are an expensive and inefficient mechanism and undermine the ability of farmers to be truly competitive. They do not help farmers to tackle the challenges of the future and our policy is therefore to see them phased out by a carefully managed transition by 2015-20. A sustainable CAP would comprise of EU spending on agriculture that would be based on the current Pillar II, allowing a considerable reduction in total spending by the EU on agriculture and bringing this into line with other sectors.

Animals: Smuggling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) country of export and  (b) purpose of importation was of each importation of a species listed in the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauner and flora imported from outside the EU in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information available regarding the country of export and purpose of import for CITES listed species imported into the UK from outside the EU in each of the last three years has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The information given is for imports of live specimens of animals and plants.

Auditory Bird Scarers

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has plans to review the Code of Practice for farmers on the use of auditory bird scarers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The National Farmers Union produced the code of practice on auditory bird scarers on which the Department was consulted. DEFRA do not currently have plans to carry out further research into the issue of auditory bird scarers.

Biodiversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on biodiversity conservation in  (a) England and  (b) the UK Overseas Territories in each of the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Details of expenditure on biodiversity conservation in England are provided in the following table. These figures represent DEFRA programme spend and spend by the wider DEFRA network but do not include staff costs. They also include total agri-environment scheme expenditure, of which a major share is judged to be spent on biodiversity.
	
		
			  Estimated public expenditure by DEFRA network organisations on biodiversity conservation in England (figures are given in £ million) 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 DEFRA: Agri-environment schemes 167.8 187.2 254.6 330.4 353 
			 Other DEFRA programme expenditure 4.9 5.6 5.4 4.7 6.7 
			 Environment Agency 5.9 10.5 11.6 7.3 23.5 
			 Forestry Commission 14.7 17.7 22.8 28.1 33.3 
			 Natural England 55.5 57.3 54.1 52.7 50.4 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee 1.4 1.8 1.8 2.1 1.7 
			 DEFRA network total 250.3 280.2 350.4 425.3 468.6 
			  Note:  Totals may not add due to rounding 
		
	
	Details of spending commitments on biodiversity conservation in the UK Overseas Territories are provided in the following table. These include commitments under the Darwin Initiative and other additional support for projects to address invasive non-native species, in each of the last five financial years. They also include spend by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. They do not include spend by others, for example the Governments of the Overseas Territories themselves, who are principally responsible for biodiversity conservation in their territories.
	
		
			  (£) 
			 2004-05 125,840 
			 2005-06 226,970 
			 2006-07 211,130 
			 2007-08 152,379 
			 2008-09 178,527 
		
	
	In addition, DEFRA spent approximately £19,000 and £10,000 on biodiversity conservation in the UK Overseas Territories through the Flagship Species Fund in the calendar years 2005 and 2008 respectively.

Biofuels

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what sustainability criteria will apply to the use of B30K oil in domestic boilers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Renewable Energy Directive, published in 2009, includes sustainability criteria that bioliquids used for heat and electricity generation must meet in order to receive financial support and to count towards the directive's renewable energy targets. The criteria include a requirement for a minimum greenhouse gas savings threshold of 35 per cent., rising to 50 per cent. in 2017, and 60 per cent. in 2018 for new installations starting production from 2017; and controls over land use change to protect land important on biodiversity or carbon grounds, such as primary forest, wetlands and peatlands. In light of this, the Department of Energy and Climate Change will make an announcement later this month, setting out what actions the Government can take to introduce sustainability standards for biomass in the UK.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of bovine tuberculosis were recorded in  (a) West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly,  (b) Cornwall,  (c) the South West and (d) England in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We are unable to give data for areas smaller than county level due to data protection reasons. These reasons include identification of individual herds. We are therefore unable to provide data for West Cornwall. However, we can confirm that there have been no cases of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in the Isles of Scilly during the last 10 years. The following table shows the number of cases of bTB in Cornwall, the South West, and England in each of the last 10 years.
	
		
			   Cornwall  South-west (GO region)( 1)  England 
			 2009 475 2,070 3,350 
			 2008 552 2,366 3,746 
			 2007 416 2,038 3,183 
			 2006 349 1,667 2,721 
			 2005 429 1,920 2,904 
			 2004 397 1,745 2,612 
			 2003 371 1,679 2,516 
			 2002 453 1,788 2,622 
			 2001 97 374 583 
			 2000 228 1,017 1,423 
			 (1) The south-west Government office region includes; Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, the Isles of Scilly, Somerset and Wiltshire.  Notes: 1. Data from VetNet are produced three months in arrears and the latest report available is for December 2009. Therefore data cannot be provided for the last three months. 2. Data from VetNet are provisional and subject to change as more data become available.  Source: VetNet

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to tackle bovine tuberculosis in Devon.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This Government remain committed to working with industry to reduce bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in all parts of England, including Devon.
	We have a package of measures in place to reduce the further spread and incidence of bovine bTB including regular testing of cattle, zero tolerance of overdue tests, pre-movement testing and extended use of gamma interferon. We are also continuing to make significant investment in vaccines. £20 million will be spent on vaccine development during the current spending period. A Badger Vaccine Deployment Project will take place in six high incidence areas (each of 100km(2)) in England, two of which are in Devon. The aim is that the vaccination of badgers will commence this summer and continue for at least five years in each area.
	Since November 2008, DEFRA has worked alongside the farming industry and veterinary profession through the Bovine TB Eradication Group for England to tackle bTB and move towards eradication. On 8 October 2009, the Group published a progress report including a number of recommendations now being implemented.
	In November 2009 the EU Commission formally agreed to the UK's Eradication Plan and to provide funding of up to €10 million for 2010. This funding will be shared between DEFRA and the Welsh and Northern Irish administrations.

Cattle: Diseases

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle have been culled as a result of contracting  (a) bovine tuberculosis and  (b) other diseases in (i) Cornwall, (ii) the South West and (iii) England in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table displays the number of reactors slaughtered as a consequence of bovine tuberculosis in each of the last 10 years.
	
		
			   Cornwall  South West Region (GO)( 1)  England 
			 2009 3,426 15,770 24,500 
			 2008 3,585 16,570 26,038 
			 2007 2,303 11,988 18,543 
			 2006 1,662 9,209 14,585 
			 2005 3,339 14,581 20,145 
			 2004 2,338 10,466 15,093 
			 2003 2,314 10,461 15,120 
			 2002 2,616 10,608 15,482 
			 2001 702 2,452 3,804 
			 2000 1,105 4,529 7,073 
			 (1) The South West Government Office region includes; Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, the Isles of Scilly, Somerset and Wiltshire.  Notes: 1. Data from Vetnet are produced three months in arrears and the latest report available is for December 2009. Therefore data cannot be provided for the last three months. 2. Data from Vetnet are provisional and subject to change as more data becomes available.  Source:  Vetnet 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of cattle killed on suspicion of being affected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in England in each of the last 10 years.
	
		
			   England  South West Region  Cornwall 
			 2009 12 6 4 
			 2008 28 14 3 
			 2007 53 25 5 
			 2006 96 38 6 
			 2005 122 53 18 
			 2004 258 96 22 
			 2003 340 150 39 
			 2002 687 238 60 
			 2001 1,009 333 64 
			 2000 1,561 539 101 
			  Source:  Veterinary Laboratories Agency's BSE Database 
		
	
	For the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak of 2001, the number of cattle culled as a result of contracting FMD during 2001 was 1,407 in Cornwall, 86,630 in the South West and 581,802 in England.
	For the FMD outbreak of 2007, no cattle were culled in Cornwall or the South West during 2007 as a result of contracting the disease, but 982 cattle were culled in England.
	For the Bluetongue outbreak of 2007, no cattle were culled in Cornwall or the South West during 2007 as a result of contracting the disease, but five cows were culled in England.
	The above figures were sourced from Animal Health.

Departmental Energy

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010.

Dan Norris: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be participating in the annual Earth Hour event on Saturday 27 March by switching off unnecessary lights at all headquarters properties within its estate.
	The Department will also be promoting the event to its staff, encouraging personal participation.

Departmental Offices

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on office refurbishments in each year since its inception.

Dan Norris: Since its inception in June 2001 the Department has spent £112,070,295 on office refurbishments within its estate portfolio. This figure includes works, professional fees and appropriate VAT.
	The figure provided is for a single total cost. While our current systems could readily identify recent spend by year the costs required to provide a year by year position from inception would be disproportionate (in excess of £800).

Livestock: Waste Disposal

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Fallen Stock Scheme in containing diseases; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In October 2009 the National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo), which runs the National Fallen Stock Scheme, was transferred from Government ownership to become a Community Interest Company. However, the scheme continues to provide an excellent service, has a growing farmer membership, and ensures that strict biosecurity conditions are applied to the collection and disposal of fallen stock to help prevent the spread of disease.

Nature Conservation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking in  (a) this country and  (b) international forums to curb illegal trade in endangered species.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Primary responsibility for enforcing wildlife legislation rests with the Police Service and the UK Border Agency. DEFRA actively supports their activities through the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW).
	DEFRA, together with the Home Office, is the main source of funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). The UK is one of only a handful of countries having a specialist wildlife crime unit and is a world leader in this respect. The Unit spearheads national action to reduce wildlife crime and is the UK's focal point for international wildlife crime enquiries.
	The UK has selected wildlife crime priorities for urgent action, either because of their impact on the conservation of certain species or because high levels of crime have been reported. The priorities include species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
	Endangered species listed on annexe A to CITES require licences in order to be traded within the UK. Animal Health operates a panel of wildlife inspectors who carry out inspections to ensure that the legislation is complied with; it also has an enforcement team which provides information from its records in support of prosecutions.
	Internationally, the UK Government (through DEFRA) is the current chair of the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) - an international organisation which aims to focus public and political attention and resources on ending the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products.
	Further international protection is offered by the UK's commitment to working with 174 other countries through our membership of CITES. Through CITES, member countries work to protect endangered species of plants and animals by restricting and monitoring international trade in them.

Noise

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the Noise Policy Statement for England.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Since its publication on 15 March 2010, no representations have been received with regard to the Noise Policy Statement for England. In developing the Statement, DEFRA officials met with all of the relevant Government Departments, including a number of key external stakeholders, ranging in interests from industry to non-governmental organisations, who expressed broad support for it.

Pollution Control

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions a decision taken at an early stage by the Environment Agency on what constitutes best available techniques in respect of a staged application for pollution prevention and control permits has subsequently been  (a) confirmed and  (b) reversed in the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Environment Agency has had only one staged application in the last five years but this has now been withdrawn.

Snow and Ice

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of his Department have taken authorised days of absence owing to severe weather in 2010.

Dan Norris: The Department does not keep central records of the number of staff who were unable to attend the office in 2010 due to severe weather conditions. We are therefore unable to provide this information without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	Staff unable to travel to their normal place of work will have agreed individual arrangements with their line managers. Options available will have included working from home, taking annual leave, and adjusting their flexible working arrangements.

Trees

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of trees planted in England in each of the last 10 years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 22 February 2010
	Tree planting is normally recorded on the basis of area planted, and this is made up of a combination of new woodland creation and replanting after the harvesting of timber from existing woodland.
	The area of planting and restocking over the last ten years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Hectares 
			  Year ending 31 March  New woodland creation  Replanting of existing woodland 
			   Broadleaf  Conifer  Broadleaf  Conifer 
			 2000 5,200 700 1,400 2,500 
			 2001 5,200 700 1,200 2,700 
			 2002 4,700 700 800 2,600 
			 2003 5,400 500 900 2,400 
			 2004 4,400 200 900 2,300 
			 2005 5,100 200 900 2,000 
			 2006 3,600 100 1,100 2,100 
			 2007 3,100 100 900 1,800 
			 2008 2,500 100 1,500 2,000 
			 2009 2,100 Nil 1,500 1,700 
		
	
	It is estimated that broad-leaved planting is at an average density of 1,500 trees per hectare, and conifer planting is at an average density of 2,200 trees per hectare, for both new woodland creation and replanting.

Waste Disposal: Research

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the report on his Department's research project commissioned from the Central Science Laboratory with reference WM0317.

Dan Norris: The report of the Central Science Laboratory (now the Food and Environment Research Agency) on the use of analgesics and rodenticides (reference WM0317) has yet to be submitted to DEFRA and thus cannot yet be placed in the Library. Delay has arisen through unexpected additional priorities for specialist staff. We expect to receive the report soon and this will be placed in the Library after appropriate subsequent review.

Wind Power

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued on the erection of wind turbines on common land.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has published guidance setting out its policy in relation to the determination of applications to the Secretary of State for consent under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006 to construct restricted works on common land in England, and under section 16(1) of the 2006 Act to deregister and exchange common land in England.
	The guidance is published on the DEFRA website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/rural/protected/commonland/protect-consent.htm#guide
	The guidance explains the Secretary of State's view, in relation to the erection of wind farms on registered common land, that:
	4.13 The Secretary of State wishes to promote sustainable energy generation in an appropriate setting, but equally, his policy is to ensure that the stock of commons is not diminished, that works on common land must maintain or improve the condition of the common, and the use must be consistent with its status as common land. To balance these issues our expectation is that applications for such infrastructure projects on common land are more likely to be successful under section 16 of the Act, so that an exchange of land is proposed and can be taken into account. An application for consent to such works under section 38 will rarely be granted unless there are convincing reasons why an application under section 16 cannot be pursued.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what activities will be funded under the Adult Learner Responsive sub-total for the Development Learning category in the Strategy Document, Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11, November 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department routes funding through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for the provision of further education (FE) and skills training for adult learners aged 19 and over. This includes activity categorised as Developmental Learning through the demand-led Adult Learner Responsive funding stream (ALR).
	Developmental Learning may be used to fund learning aims eligible for funding which are not otherwise funded through one of the priority qualification categories which are: Full Level 2, Full Level 3, Level 4, Foundation Learning and Skills for Life.
	It can therefore include learning aims for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities not included in any other category, 19+ learners completing a 16 to 18 programme (learners who draw down entitlement funding), trade union studies and initial teacher training.
	The actual mix and balance of this activity will depend on learner demand.

Adult Education: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment has been made of the level of support and resources the Skills Funding Agency will require for administering the provision of learning for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) are currently responsible for funding further education (FE) and training for adult learners aged 19 and over delivered by FE colleges and training organisations. The LSC do not deliver any provision directly.
	In 2009/10 academic year the cost of provision for learners aged 19 or over with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD) will be supported through the same adult budgets as those learners without LDD. Learners with LDD in mainstream provision can have their additional support needs met through Additional Learning Support Funding (ALS). For the 2009/10 academic year around £150 million was allocated to FE colleges and training organisations for this purpose. However it should be noted that ALS funding is not solely for learners with LDD and can also be used to meet the needs of other vulnerable groups.
	Funding allocations for 2010/11 academic year are currently under way. It is therefore not possible to provide information on a funding amount at this stage.

Adult Education: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria will be used to establish which learners will be covered by the provision of the Adult Learner Responsive sub-total for the Foundation Learning (excluding Skills for Life) category in the Strategy Document, Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11, November 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for the funding of further education (FE) and training for adult learners aged 19 and over.
	Foundation learning (excluding Skills for Life) funded through the Adult Learner Responsive budget includes nationally accredited provision outside of Skills for Life at entry level and Level 1. Programmes funded through the ALR budget are delivered wholly on the FE college or training organisation's premises. The type of learners funded through this route will vary depending on the needs of learners within each local area.

Adult Education: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what type of provision will be provided by the Adult Learner Responsive sub-total for the Foundation Learning (excluding Skills for Life) category in the Strategy Document, Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11, November 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Foundation Learning Curriculum helps people currently learning at Entry Level and Level 1 to progress to Level 2.
	The curriculum offers a skills combination designed to enhance employability, increase confidence in learning and, in the case of learners with learning difficulties or disabilities, lead to independent living. It comprises three elements: vocational training, functional skills in English, maths and ICT and personal and social development skills. Adult learners will not have to take all three elements, but will be able to tailor their learning, building up a personalised skills set to suit their individual needs and aspirations.

Apprentices

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people completed an apprenticeship in each industry or service sector in each quarter of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship achievements by Sector Subject Area from 2004/05 to 2008/09. A copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship achievements by Sector Subject Area is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09

Apprentices: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people completed apprenticeships in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows apprenticeship achievements for Milton Keynes local authority from 2003/04 onwards, the earliest year for which comparable data are available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship framework achievements for Milton Keynes local authority, 2003/04 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Number of framework achievements 
			 2003/04 200 
			 2004/05 300 
			 2005/06 400 
			 2006/07 400 
			 2007/08 500 
			 2008/09 600 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for Milton Keynes local authority are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures include apprenticeships, advanced apprenticeships and higher level apprenticeships. 4. In order to be counted as a successful achievement, all elements of the framework must have been achieved.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship achievements is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09

Apprentices: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have completed apprenticeships in York in each year since 1996-97.

Kevin Brennan: The following table shows apprenticeship achievements for York local authority and City of York parliamentary constituency from 2003/04 onwards, the earliest year for which comparable data are available.
	
		
			  Apprenticeship framework achievements for York local authority and City of York parliamentary constituency, 2003/04 to 2008/09 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			 York local authority 200 200 300 500 400 600 
			 City of York parliamentary constituency 90 120 210 280 230 380 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for York local authority are rounded to the nearest hundred. Figures for City of York parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures include Apprenticeship, Advanced Apprenticeships and Higher Level Apprenticeships. 4. In order to be counted as a successful achievement, all elements of the framework must have been achieved.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship achievements is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09

Broadband

Phil Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to require Ofcom to promote training in the telecommunications industry to support the rollout of and access to a universal broadband service.

Stephen Timms: This Department has no such plans at this stage.

Broadband

Phil Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to extend the general access fund for the roll-out of broadband services to mobile as well as fixed line operators; and when he expects the new arrangements to be operable.

Stephen Timms: The Government are currently consulting on the proposals for the Next Generation Fund, which includes an explanation of the various technologies that may be used to deliver superfast broadband to 90 per cent. of UK households. Further decisions will be announced in due course.

Broadband

Phil Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to make access to 2Mbps minimum speeds for universal broadband access mandatory.

Stephen Timms: Both the Digital Britain Report and the 2009 Budget stated that
	The Government will pursue Universal Service in broadband, at a speed of 2 Megabits per second, by no later than 2012. This target will allow virtually everyone to experience the benefits of broadband, including the increasing delivery of public services online. We are currently working with the newly formed body Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) to take this work forward.

Broadband: Harrogate

Phil Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which telecommunications exchanges in Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency will be enabled with superfast broadband fibre; and when he expects this work to be completed.

Stephen Timms: Decisions over where to provide superfast broadband are in the first instance commercial decisions for network operators. The Government announced the creation of Broadband Delivery UK on 5 March. This body will be responsible for supporting private sector investment to deliver superfast broadband to 90 per cent. of households by 2017.

Business: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department and its predecessors have taken to support small businesses in Preston since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Northwest Development Agency (NWDA), established in 1999, has provided extensive support to small businesses across the region including Preston. The NWDA's main support for small businesses is through regionally available 'Solutions for Business' products in which the agency invested £92.75 million in 2008/09. The 'Solutions for Business' portfolio includes: business finance, improving innovation and efficiency, business start-up, advice on international trade, work force training, and sector development through regional cluster organisations. The primary access point is Business Link North West (BLNW) which provides companies with information, diagnostics and brokerage to specific types of support. Since 2007 BLNW has assisted 5,808 companies in Preston. In addition, NWDA has supported two Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) schemes in the Preston area, one supporting small businesses in Deepdale and the other a £20 million scheme at Avenham. The agency also supported managed workspace at the Harris Business Centre operated by the University of Central Lancashire.

Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Since 1997, the policies and actions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (and its predecessors) have focused on building a competitive economy and on delivering prosperity and sustainable economic growth. The implementation of BIS policy in Chorley has been taken forward primarily by the North West Development Agency and the Government Office for the north-west, working in partnership with the local authority and other relevant bodies.
	Caution must be exercised in seeking to attribute directly the effects of specific measures on local economic indicators. Nonetheless, examples of how BIS policies and actions have impacted on Chorley include:
	Levels of skills have increased in the years for which data is available, between 2000 and 2008. Performance at level 2 has increased from 62.7 per cent. to 67.7 per cent., at level 3 from 41.6 per cent. to 48.3 per cent., and at level 4 from 22.3 per cent. to 27.3 per cent.(1);
	The stock of VAT registered businesses has increased from 2,880 businesses in 1997 to 3,365 businesses in 2007(2);
	The proportion of business registrations (including VAT and PAYE) per 10,000 resident population aged 16 and above (National Indicator 171) has increased from 49.7 in 2002 to 59.5 in 2008(3); and
	The percentage of small businesses showing growth in number of employees (National Indicator 172) has increased from 10.6 per cent. in 2003 to 14.5 per cent. in 2008(4).
	(1) Extracted from NOMIS NVQ Qualifications time series for Chorley.
	(2) Extracted from NOMIS, source: BERR-VAT registrations/deregistrations by industry.
	(3) Data produced by BIS and available on the BIS website:
	http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/national_indicators/index.htm
	(4) As above.

Credit

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received from  (a) consumer bodies and  (b) other organisations (i) in support of and (ii) against the introduction of a cap on charges in the home credit market; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: With regard to contact with those supporting a cap on interest rates, I met with Damon Gibbons of Debt on your Doorstep and my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney) in October 2009. Damon Gibbons also wrote to me in November 2009 and in January, Joanna Kennedy of the Zacchaeus 2000 Trust emailed my constituency office. With regard to contact with those against introducing a cap on interest rates, John Moulding of Provident Financial wrote to me in November 2009.
	Government carefully considered the case for a cap on interest rates following research carried out by Policis in 2004. The research showed that imposing a cap on interest rates could result in lenders withdrawing from the riskier end of the market, including the home credit market, denying vulnerable consumers access to legitimate sources of credit and potentially forcing them to resort to illegal money lending. This was a view shared by leading consumer groups including Citizens Advice, the Association of British Credit Unions, the Institute of Public Policy Research, Which? and Advice UK. The Office of Fair Trading is reviewing the high cost credit market, including the case for a rate cap, and will report shortly. Government will respond to the review when published.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on office refurbishments since its inception.

Pat McFadden: Since its inception in June 2009, this Department has spent £5.42 million (inclusive of VAT) on office refurbishments to date. We are currently in the middle of refurbishing our main ministerial building 1 Victoria street.
	This investment will allow us to vacate Kingsgate House, London when the lease expires in March 2012 which currently costs around £10 million per annum to run. We have also been able to vacate a property in Glasgow and move to vacant Government space saving £0.5 million per annum on running costs.

Departmental Surveys

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department and its agencies.

Pat McFadden: The 2009 People Survey results for BIS and its agencies will be placed in the Libraries of the House. These results are also available on the BIS website at Related documents under the heading Who we are:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/About/who-we-are

East of England Development Agency: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what payments the East of England Development Agency has made to Fishburn Hedges in each of the last three years; for what purposes; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract under which such payments have been made.

Rosie Winterton: Fishburn Hedges have provided support to EEDA with a wide range of communications and public relations support including specific public affairs services. This support includes high-level advice, legislative and policy updates, a parliamentary monitoring service, information, briefings and writing support, support on political visits and events, and parliamentary procedures. EEDA does not have sufficient capacity in house to manage all these areas of expertise. Total payments made to Fishburn Hedges in each of the last years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007 222,570.74 
			 2008 73,285.76 
			 2009 (to date) 90,942.28 
			  Note:  These figures are inclusive of VAT. 
		
	
	
		
			  2007 
			  Date  Amount (£)  Purpose 
			 2 January 2007 2,032.88 Destination Growth 2007 Planning and Development 
			 16 January 2007 2,321.72 Cut Your Carbon Campaign Development 
			 5 March 2007 25,819.39 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 5 April 2007 32,988.69 Month Monitoring Service and Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 13 April 2007 3,429.36 Month Monitoring Service and Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 16 April 2007 10,071.81 Public Affairs Strategy Development 
			 5 April 2007 24,866.33 Event 
			 5 April 2007 35,345.13 Essays-Development and Copywriting 
			 5 April 2007 42,122.86 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 4 June 2007 10,904.34 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 31 July 2007 5,461.86 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 17 July 2007 5,439.13 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 4 September 2007 5,421.61 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 24 September 2007 5,582.71 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 2 November 2007 5,422.78 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 17 December 2007 5,340.14 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
		
	
	
		
			  2008 
			  Date  Amount (£)  Purpose 
			 28 January 2008 5,324.90 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 29 February 2008 5,287.50 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 19 March 2008 5,287.50 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 28 March 2008 12,382.46 Month Monitoring Service and Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 9 May 2008 5,455.78 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 16 June 2008 5,352.13 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 14 July 2008 5,304.36 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 6 August 2008 5,364.99 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 15 September 2008 5,449.85 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 20 November 2008 4,012.43 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 20 November 2008 14,063.86 Month Monitoring Service and Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
		
	
	
		
			  2009 
			  Date  Amount (£)  Purpose 
			 16 February 2009 21,423.64 Month Monitoring Service and Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 30 March 2009 10,940.92 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 28 April 2009 10,892.19 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 1 May 2009 11,891.00 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 8 July 2009 6,234.55 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 19 August 2009 11,853.07 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 3 September 2009 5,855.74 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 19 October 2009 5,879.79 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
			 4 November 2009 5,971.38 Public Affairs Contract Consultancy 
		
	
	 Notes:
	There have been three contractual arrangements between the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and Fishburn Hedges since 2006 (the period to which the question relates). The following documents will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	 Contract 2006062-Public Affairs contract
	This contract was for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 August 2006. It was an extension of a previous arrangement, under contract reference number 04/57, which ran from November 2004 to March 2006.
	This document has been modified only:
	(a) to protect individuals' personal data; and
	(b) to remove information relating to EEDA's internal processes. This information is commercially sensitive, in that it relates to EEDA's general approach to procurement strategy and supplier selection, and disclosure would not be in the public interest, as it would undermine the ability of EEDA to effectively conduct future procurement activities, and to achieve effective use of public money.
	 Contract 2006079
	This is the contract agreement for the multi-disciplinary marketing support call off contract that lasted for two years up to November 2008. This document has been amended to remove the specific daily rate referred to in paragraph 3. Please take the following into account:
	The amount of the daily rate in offer letter has been removed because it is information that is still of commercial significance to the contractor and to which a duty of confidentiality applies.
	The contractor's Proposal (Attachment 1) has not been supplied. This document contains:
	i. the personal data of individuals
	ii. information relating to projects carried out by third parties, and
	iii. information on the commercial and business method and interests of the contractor which retain commercial sensitivity and are subject to a duty of confidentiality
	The list of key personnel (Appendix D) has not been supplied because it contains the personal data of individuals.
	 Contract 2006084-Public Affairs
	This is a public affairs call-off contract.
	Two documents relate to this contract.
	The first is the original contract. It has been amended to remove the specific daily rate referred to in paragraph 3.
	The amount of the daily rate in offer letter has been removed because it is information that is still of commercial significance to the contractor and to which a duty of confidentiality applies.
	The contractor's Proposal (Attachment 1) has not been supplied. This document contains:
	i. the personal data of individuals
	ii. information relating to projects carried out by third parties, and
	iii. information on the commercial and business method and interests of the contractor which retain commercial sensitivity and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
	The list of Key Personnel (Appendix D) has not been supplied because it contains the personal data of individuals.
	A second document extends the length of the contract noted above. It has not been modified.

Employment

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of people aged 24 years or under in  (a) the City of York,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) England are in education, employment or training.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number and percentage of people aged(1) 16 to 24 in education, employment or training in Yorkshire and Humber and England in quarter 4 2009. This information is from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
	Estimates for small geographies such as local authorities are available from the Annual Population Survey (APS), for which the latest data available relate to 2008. Estimates for York are given in table 2.
	Please note that all of these estimates are subject to sampling variability, which is larger for smaller geographies, and should therefore be treated with caution and viewed in conjunction with their Confidence Intervals(2) (CIs), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a CI of +/-2.8 percentage points (pp) means that the true value is between 2.8pp above the estimate and 2.8pp below the estimate.
	(1) Age used is respondents' academic age, which is defined as their age at the preceding 31 August.
	(2 )Those given are 95 per cent. confidence intervals
	
		
			  Table 1: People aged 16 to 24 in education, employment or training, Q4 2009 
			   Number of 16 to 24-year-olds in EET  Percentage of all 16 to 24-year-olds in EET  Confidence Interval 
			 England 5,146,000 85.2 +/- 0.7pp 
			 Yorks and Humber 572,000 83.4 +/- 2.2pp 
			  Source:  Q4 2009 Labour Force Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2 : People aged 16 to 24 in education, employment or training,  200 8 
			   Number of 16 to 24-year-olds in EET  Percentage of all 16 to 24-year-olds in EET  Confidence Interval 
			 York LA 30,000 95.7 +/- 2.8pp 
			  Source:  2008 Annual Population Survey.

Estate Agents: Regulation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the Office of Fair Trading's recent recommendation against the introduction of further regulation of estate agents.

Kevin Brennan: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published its market study report on Home buying and selling on 18 February 2010.
	I am grateful to the OFT for its report. We will consider the recommendations which have been addressed to the Government and publish a response in due course.

Higher Education

Phil Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Higher Education Funding Council for England has instructed universities to cease to provide higher education courses through an education college since September 2009.

David Lammy: I can confirm that the Higher Education Funding Council for England have not instructed universities to cease to provide higher education courses through an education college since September 2009.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in each  (a) constituency and  (b) local authority area (i) applied for and (ii) were accepted for a place at university in each of the last three years.

David Lammy: The information will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

National Skills Academies

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many expressions of interest have been received to set up new National Skills Academies; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) received 12 Expressions of Interest (EoI) to set up new National Skills Academies (NSAs), in response to the NSA Fifth Round Prospectus. The bidding round is an independent process led and managed by the LSC and an announcement of the EoIs selected for further development is expected to be made very shortly.
	National Skills Academies are successful in shaping skills provision in their sectors and in attracting employer commitment and investment in skills. This further expansion of the NSA network will build on that success, establishing NSAs as the leading employer-led skills delivery, and in taking us a step further towards the aspiration of having at least one NSA for every major sector of the economy as resources allow.

Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on  (a) empty property rates and  (b) empty property relief since January 2007.

Pat McFadden: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has regular discussions with other Government Departments on matters affecting business, including with Communities and Local Government on business rates and rate relief schemes.

Post Offices: Closures

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  on how many occasions a sub-post office temporarily closed has been reclassified as a permanent closure since the first quarter of 2008;
	(2)  in what circumstances a post office classified as temporarily closed is reclassified as a permanent closure;
	(3)  how many sub-post offices which have temporarily closed in each quarter since the first quarter of 2008 remain closed;
	(4)  what the average time taken to provide a replacement branch in place of a sub-post office which had been temporarily closed was in each quarter since the first quarter of 2008;
	(5)  how many post offices classified as temporarily closed have been reintroduced as outreach services rather than re-opened;
	(6)  how many post offices temporarily closed have been replaced with the Post Office Essential Service.

Pat McFadden: I have asked Alan Cook, managing director of Post Office Ltd., to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Development Agencies: Trade Unions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) regional development agencies have given to support the regional union network.

Pat McFadden: This Department does not provide funding directly in support of the regional union network.
	Regional Development Agencies (RDA) fund initiatives through a variety of third party organisations to deliver projects to increase economic growth, such as on workforce development and economic inclusion. The specific focus and priorities of such activities are set out in each region's Regional Economic Strategy and will differ according to the needs, opportunities and priorities for economic growth in each region.
	The following table shows RDA funding to trade unions for 2003-09. The RDAs retain records of the last six years. To provide records before this period will incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Total amount of RDA funding to trade unions 2003-09 
			   £ 
			 Advantage West Midlands 1,151,116 
			 East of England Development Agency 189,000 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 744,000 
			 London Development Agency 911,000 
			 North West Development Agency 801,957 
			 One North East 472,569 
			 South East Development Agency 561,460 
			 South West Development Agency 2,112,592 
			 Yorkshire Forward 446,816

Remploy

Colin Burgon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on consultants' advice in relation to Remploy in 2008-09; how much has been so spent in 2009-10 to date; which consultants have been engaged in each year; and how much each has been paid to date.

Pat McFadden: The Department's accounting system does not separately identify how much has been spent on consultants' advice in relation to Remploy, or the names of the consultants that may have given such advice. An exercise to try and obtain such information could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Telecommunications: EC Action

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to bring forward legislation to implement the provisions of the new EU Telecoms Directives; and what consultation will take place prior to implementation.

Stephen Timms: The Department is working with Ofcom, the Information Commissioner's Office and relevant Government Departments to determine what legislative changes are required to implement the provisions of the new EU Telecoms Directives, and has begun informal discussions with consumer and industry parties affected by the changes.
	We will consult widely over the summer with the intention of bringing forward secondary legislation under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to implement the changes by 25 May 2011.

Telecommunications: EC Action

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with (a) Ofcom,  (b) representatives of industry and  (c) consumer groups on the implementation of the new number portability rights and obligations introduced by the EU Citizens' Rights Directive.

Stephen Timms: The Department have had regular contact with Ofcom to discuss the maintenance and application of the number portability regime in the UK in general. Additionally they have held discussions to consider specifically implementation of the electronic communications framework review and the implications this has for number portability in the UK. Ofcom plan to publish a statement and a further public consultation shortly on improving number portability in the UK and although this was work which was already under way it is consistent with the provisions of the new directives.
	Ofcom's statement and public consultation will precede a fuller, separate, review of switching processes to take place later this year across the entire range of converging electronic communications sectors which will take into account the changes required by the EU Citizens' Rights Directive.
	The Department will consult widely on implementation of the European Framework Review (including the Citizens' Rights Directive) over the summer with the intention of bringing forward secondary legislation under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to implement the changes by 25 May 2011. Some informal discussions have already taken place with operators (e.g. with Hutchison, 3UK and Vodafone) on number portability. We have also had informal discussions with Consumer Focus.
	More formal engagement on the detail of the new requirements is planned for the consultation and we are committed to engaging with Ofcom, industry and relevant consumer groups throughout the implementation period from now to end May 2011.

Telecommunications: EC Action

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to prepare for implementation of the new number portability rights and obligations introduced by the EU Citizens' Rights Directive.

Stephen Timms: The Department have had regular contact with Ofcom to discuss the maintenance and application of the number portability regime in the UK in general. Additionally they have held discussions to consider specifically implementation of the electronic communications framework review and the implications this has for number portability in the UK. Ofcom plan to publish a statement and a further public consultation shortly on improving number portability in the UK and although this was work which was already under way it is consistent with the provisions of the new directives.
	Ofcom's statement and public consultation will precede a fuller, separate, review of switching processes to take place later this year across the entire range of converging electronic communications sectors which will take into account the changes required by the EU Citizens' Rights Directive.
	At the same time the Department is working with Ofcom to determine what legislative changes are required to implement the new provisions and we have begun informal discussions with consumer and industry parties affected by the changes.
	We will consult widely over the summer with the intention of bringing forward Secondary Legislation under Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to implement the changes by 25 May 2011.

Telecommunications: EC Action

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on assisting business to meet the new number portability rights and obligations introduced by the EU Citizens' Rights Directive.

Stephen Timms: The Department are in regular contact with Ofcom to discuss the maintenance and application of the number portability regime for electronic communications in the UK. The Department have recently had discussions with Ofcom on their forthcoming statement and public consultation on improving number porting in the UK. This work was already under way and is consistent with the new directives.
	The Department will consult widely on implementation of the European Framework Review over the summer with the intention of bringing forward secondary legislation under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to implement the changes by 25 May 2011. Some informal discussions with operators have already taken place (e.g. with Hutchison, 3UK and Vodafone). More formal engagement on the detail of the new requirements is planned for the consultation and we are committed to engaging with Ofcom and industry throughout the implementation period from now to end May 2011.

Young People: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of people aged 24 years or under in Milton Keynes are in education, employment or training.

Kevin Brennan: In 2008 it is estimated that 90.9 per cent. of 16 to 24-year-olds(1) in Milton Keynes local authority were in education, employment or training. These figures are the most recent available from the Annual Population Survey.
	Please note that, because the sample sizes for local authority estimates are small, this estimate is subject to large sampling variability and should therefore be treated with caution and viewed in conjunction with its confidence interval(2) of 5.3 percentage points. This means that the true value is somewhere between 85.6 per cent. and 95.8 per cent.
	(1) Age used is respondents' academic age, which is defined as their age as at the preceding 31 August.
	(2) Those given are 95 per cent. confidence intervals.